


We Promise

by TyF



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe- Tribal, Angst, Distrust, Fear, Fighting, Fluff, Humor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Internal Conflict, M/M, Plot, Polygamy, Rape, Romance, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slavery, Tribal Leader, Tribal Wars, Trust Issues, Turtle Sex, Turtlecest, Turtles, primal, tribes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-03-03 04:01:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 36
Words: 72,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2837300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyF/pseuds/TyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Universe. Not enough Tribal fics :3 Co-written by littlebirdy3tweet. Go check out their stuff!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Leonardo slid of out of the huge warm bed, away from the warm form beside him. He didn't want to move from his side, but he needed to speak with the Elder. He had been troubled by his meetings with him lately. He had tried to figure out why exactly he couldn't be considered the Leader just yet. After spending a month thinking and speaking with his partner, his only option was going to ask the Elder himself. He needed to go early in the morning before the village woke up. 

Leo rocked and stood up, hearing his partner shift around in his bed, "Where're you going?" Leo couldn't hide the smile as he looked back into sleepy hazel brown eyes.

"I gotta go speak with the Elder. Stay here and sleep." A grumble from the other terrapin let Leo know he wasn't going to have any fight from him.

He moved over towards where he lay his fabrics down before slipping them around his waist. He contemplated putting on a fur for the cold, but he was sure he wouldn't be out of the heat for that long. He went through the door leading from his bedroom to the rest of his hut and out of the front door. He looked up at the moon, shocked that it was still so high in the sky, even if it is this early in the morning. Leo sighed and shuddered just a little from the cool breeze that swept across his skin.

He pushed forward towards the road that led up onto a hill and towards the cabin of the Elder. On the way there, Leo thought of his life and how he's gotten to where he is now. Living at the top of the food chain in a village of terrapins. His village, Atlantica and the turtles who inhabit it. His people. He wanted so badly to be the one in charge, despite the way it could wear down a man's psyche. He wanted to protect them. He just couldn't trust anyone else to do it.

He managed to convince his father to choose him out of his siblings to be the one to take over. His siblings didn't object as they wanted to lead simple lives. They never could understand how he could want such a hard job as it was. He came upon the cabin of the Elder and pushed onward a little quicker as he felt the chill of the early morning start to really nip at him. When he knocked against the door and was let in, the sky was lightening towards a gray color.

"Morning, Elder."

The old rat, who was the village Elder, gazed at the taller terrapin before moving to sit back at his place in front of the fire. Leo followed and sat in front of him.

"What is it troubling you, Leonardo?" He saw Leo look at his hands in his lap as he tried to figure out a way to say it without appearing unintelligent for not figuring it out on his own. The Elder noticed, "Spit it out."

"Elder, I...I want to know why it is that you do not consider me the leader of this tribe yet?"

Leo raised his head to meet the Elder's gaze full on. The black beady eyes stared back at the turtle, revealing nothing yet knowing everything.

"The matter is quite simple, Leonardo. Your people have a tradition. The tribe leader must take at least three life partners. The reason is to have three people you trust the most and talk to the most to have around you. These people you may or may not mate, but it is not illegal if you so decide to. You must do what you did for Donatello for two more members of this tribe. Then, in front of everyone, I will announce you the official leader of Atlantica."

Leo stared at the Elder, wanting to punch himself for forgetting such a basic rule. As a leader you need three people who you can trust to take over in case you must leave or have fallen ill suddenly. You must have three people whom you trust with your life, because that's what you're doing essentially.

Leo remembered his father had two male and one female, all of whom he mated with. Leo remembered the way family life went. They all were like parents to him and his siblings. He couldn't have possibly imagined life any other way.

"Thank you, Elder."

The old rat nodded, "Any time, Leonardo. I understand you better than you think and I do not ridicule you for not figuring that out sooner. You always believe it is something bigger than what it really is. It's your nature. And I do not blame you."

Leonardo offered the old rat a smile before nodding to him and standing to leave. The trek down was colder, but easier now that he had a little more light to work with. The sky was grayish pink and no one was up except farmers and him. He knew if he didn't get home soon, he'd miss Don before he went to check on the sick and elderly in the village.

He jogged the rest of the way down and towards his own cabin. He pushed into the place and closed the door behind him quickly to keep the cold out.

"Don!"

"I'm in here!" 

He followed the voice back through his bedroom towards his bathroom. It was inhabited by a huge wooden tub with steaming, bubbly water and a terrapin. He smiled as Don waved a bar of soap.

"So...what did he say?"

"Well, basically I was being stupid."

"No he didn't." Don smirked as he rubbed the soap over his shoulder and arm, working up a lather.

"Well I went and asked him why I wasn't considered Tribe Leader yet and he told me it was because I haven't officially chosen three life partners just yet."

Donatello nodded and held the bar out to him. Leo grabbed it and stood behind him as the soaked terrapin stood in the tub. Leo started to rub the soap over his shell, lathering it up.

"Well, he didn't say you were being stupid."

"Yeah, but I forgot the simplest rule of them all!"

"It's because you're busy." Leo had reached the bottom of his shell and he was bending over to let him get at it better, "You have the Foot tribe to worry about..."

"Bunch of troublesome humans."

"And you got Purple Dragon tribes trying to threaten us."

"Another bunch of troublesome humans. I believe they're in cahoots..."

Donatello nodded and stood up and faced Leo, "Yeah well, we can't do anything about it until we have proof. And then the Elder won't authorize an attack if they're not directly messing with us."

Leo nodded and put the soap in his hand before moving over to the chair and grabbing a towel. He dipped it in water and made Don turn around to rinse off his shell.

"Yup. What're we gonna do 'til then?"

"Well..." Don looked back at Leo, his hazel eyes twinkling, "That big bed in there is feeling kinda lonely, especially when you aren't around."

Leo's face lit up with a small smile as he pulled Don's head back to kiss him deeply, "Well I guess that means I should get started on becoming Leader, huh?"

Don smiled and kissed him gently, "Not for just that, but because you need it. Okay?" Leo frowned a little as he realized what Don was getting at. Sighing, he stepped away and grabbed a larger towel to hold out for him to step in.

"Come on. You got sick turtles to go see about." Don smiled and stepped into Leo's arms as he wrapped the towel around him, as if he were a toddler.

"Just think about it, okay? Not just for being Leader."


	2. Chapter 2

Raphael couldn't help the growl that erupted from his chest. He, in turn, earned another hard kick to the jaw. Mikey cowered in the corner as he saw his one and only friend be beaten for being so stubborn. He wanted so badly to help, but he was broken and had been for such a long time. He just prayed Raphael lived through it all.

Raphael managed to stay quiet enough for the slave trader to believe he's made his point and leave. The rest of the slaves in the room had cowered away as the trader tried to dominate by making an example out of Raph. Once the human was gone, Mikey shuffled over to Raphael quickly and pulled his head up to check the bruises left on his cheek.

"Hey...you have got to learn when to frigging shut up!" Mikey chastised him. 

Raphael gave him a lopsided grin as he felt his friend's fingers gently prod at his face, "Oh, whatever. He was scared, that's the only reason he's trying to make an example of me. He want the rest of them to fear him."

Mikey shook his head and cradled Raph's head in his own hands, "I don't give a damn. I just want you alive."

Raph shook his head a little as another male turtle moved over to sit beside them, "What was it you were talking about escaping?"

Raphael looked at the new male who interrupted him. He was about to growl and try and get him to move away, but the talk of escaping an possibly having some help made him refrain from doing so.

Mikey glanced warily between them before Raphael responded, "I was think the next time they take us out for some trading and we're on our way there, we overpower them and take our freedom."

The male scoffed and leaned against he wooden wall of their small enclosure, "Yeah? And how sure are you that it'll work? Half of us are too weak to try and force our freedom."

Raphael, "You'd be shocked how strong you are when you terrified or determined."

"You're only saying that because you're the biggest of us all. What were you before you came here? A farm slave?"

Raph shook his head, trying to stop the growl of agitation growing in his chest, "I was a warrior, one of the best, in my tribe. I plan on going back there after I get out of this fucking place."

"If you're so sure that overpowering them will gain our freedom, then why did you get taken slave in the first place?"

Raph smirked, "Well even the biggest turtle can be overpowered if he's outnumbered. I was alone when they caught me. And I was injured. It wasn't major, but those humans aren't as stupid as you would think. They used it to their advantage and I was taken down. But when they take us out to trade, they're quite stupid. We use our numbers to take them over and kill them off. Once that's done, we all go wherever we need to go."

Mikey had moved to sit in his side as he talked, but at the last sentence he turned to look at him, "What about us that don't have anywhere to go?" His small voice got through the hard exterior of Raph's making him soften his golden gaze at the younger.

"Then they can come with me to my tribe. They'll be taken care of there..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donnie put his head to the young girl's forehead before he smiled at her, hoping he was reassuring her, "It's just a fever. I'll fix you something sweet to help, alright?" 

She nodded and held onto her little teddy bear tightly as he turned to the chimney where the little pot with his mixture hung to warm. He added some sugar and mints to help with the taste for the younger turtle. He always had a soft spot for children when they were sick. He wanted them to be as comfortable as possible when they were recovering. 

Donatello gave her a small cup of the sweet and spicy mixture, making sure she sipped it all up. He smiled at her as she grinned up at him.

"This is sweet!" He watched as she drained it quickly and put the cup back in his hand, "But I'm sleepy now..." 

He nodded, "It usually does that. You'll be fine. Just nap and I'll speak with your mother." She nodded and yawned before curling up to her teddy bear. He turned to face the worried looking mother,"You need to keep this warm and give her a cup every two hours. After tonight, throw it out. She should be fine, but if she's still sick, just come get me and I'll make you some more."

The female terrapin nodded as she glanced to her daughter, "Are you sure it's not severe?" 

Don smiled and nodded, "And if it was, this would help bring it down. It's fine. Let her sleep it off and she should be fine."

The female nodded before hugging him in thanks. He picked up his shoulder bag of pouches of herbs before leaving, "Have a nice day." She nodded to him and watched him leave before turning back to admire the beautiful face of her daughter.

As Donatello walked out of the house, he almost an into his partner's chest, "Oh, my goodness, what's the matter?"

Leo smiled down at him and hugged him, "Nothing. I just wanted to eat lunch with you. I barely get time to hang out with you with all the baby kissin' I gotta do. I figured you'd like to eat some soup or something at home..." The underlying suggestion in his voice had Don furrowing his brow to figure him out.

Once he realized what he was getting at, he grinned, "Sure. But I got two more turtles to check on and then I'll be home, 'kay?" Leo nodded and kissed him gently before turning to head back to their cabin. Don smirked at his retreating shell before carrying about his business.


	3. Chapter 3

Leo slid up behind his partner as he stirred the pot of warm and delicious soup, "Hey."

"Hello." Donnie said as he stirred, his mind elsewhere as he cooked their lunch, "How long are you home?"

"Honestly? I can stay the rest of the week if I want. I've been working my shell off and I say it's time for a good break."

Donatello nodded as he grabbed a couple bowls and began to fill them with soup and handed Leo his before fixing his own and going to sit at their dinner table.

"But there's just so much shit to do." Leo growled as he thought if over, "I got a few more groups of young warriors to try and train. I got to talk to some of the disputing families to try and get them to not argue and bring others into their disputes." Leo took a deep breath and sighed as he sipped at his soup. He then sat and stared at Donnie, noticing he was staring off into space,"What's on your mind?"

Donnie looked up at him before he sighed, "Well the last two turtles I checked in on were doing worse, but I think I got them on the right track. That and I was thinking about your predicament. You don't talk with too many people or get close to too many people to. This is gonna kinda be a huge challenge for you. I am a little worried."

Leo stared at him, "Why? It's not like it's going to matter to the people. They already respect me and follow me. Despite my not having three life partners."

Donnie shook his head, "Along with the possibility of a position of power comes those who are evilhearted and wish to take it from you. You're life is in danger even if you do not know it. You must be extremely careful in whoever you choose to be your other two life partners. You must..." Donnie sighed as he ran out of words to help Leo understand how he felt about him.

Leo reached over and took ahold of his hand, "Look, Don. I get it. You're scared of me. I know, I'm terrified for myself. These people are gonna be the people I'm gonna tell my deepest secrets. They have the power to kill me because of my trust. I plan on taking the next two weeks to try and be careful with my decision, okay? Don't be scared."

Donatello took a deep breath as he stared into Leo's intensely blue eyes, "You can't tell me not to be scared. I'll try not to interfere with your decisions, but I can't help but worry."

Leo sighed and nodded, pushing his bowl off to the side before pulling Donatello up, "C'mon. I'll at least make you forget for a moment."

Donatello smiled a small smile before standing and following Leo into their bedroom. Their bed is quite roomy. They both could lay with their arms outstretched and still not touch each other. Donatello just couldn't lay in it without curling up close to Leo, no matter how far he moves to the edge. Donatello needed his body heat to be even the slightest relaxed enough to sleep.

Leo pulled Don around and smiled down at him, his blue eyes slightly hooded as Donnie grinned up at him, his eagerness apparent. Leo pulled him down in his lap as he sat on the end of the bed and Don smirked at him as he started to pull off the cloth around his waist.

"You're quite perverted sometimes" Don said as his head fell back at Leo's assertive neck licking.

"Isn't that why you love me?" Leo rumbled out with a churr as his hands finally worked off the cloth and started in on Don's slit.

"Mmmmhmmm, and so much more..." Donnie moaned out, his bulge in his slit starting to grow even more. Donatello moved to straddle his lover's waist once he had the cloth off and smiled at him as he started to start his own seductions on his neck, "You gonna get yourself outta that cloth? Or should we just fuck through it, considering you're a busy turtle and all."

Leo chuckled as he leaned back, pushing his cloth down under Don before he reached up to continue rubbing at his lover's slit. Don groaned and closed his eyes, placing his hands flat against his plastron as Leo teased him out. Don let himself pop out into the open as he stared down at Leo.

"You wanna top?" Don asked breathlessly as he got ready to move over to let him on top.

Leo shook his head, "I wanna be in you, but I want you to ride me." Donnie nodded and sat up on his plastron as he moved to rub Leo out into the open. He felt Leo was already quite slick with precum and decided it was enough to lube him up enough to ease the entry. Donnie slowly lowered himself down onto the Leader's engorged member, making him take a quick breath in between his teeth. Leo panted as he held on to Don's hips.

"You ok-kay?" Donnie nodded as he kept going until Leo was all inside him. He preferred for the Leader to be on top when he bottomed but some days he was just too tired. Donnie didn't mind it so much anymore. After he realized the stress Leo could be under everyday all day, he didn't want to be difficult. His job as his mate was to help alleviate that stress.

Don sat on his erection as he waited for the Leader to calm his breathing a bit. Soon Don got to hungry for feeling and started to move, tentatively moving his hips up slowly, leaning forward on Leo's plastron with his hands. Leo groaned and grabbed Don's hands to keep him planted in that way as Donnie started to speed up the way he rode him. They kept going like that for a good while, the same steady pace until Leo got close to his climax. 

Leo spread his legs and started to thrust up into Don, getting anxious for his own release. Don felt Leo thrust against his prostate and whined out, letting Leo know just where to focus on before he lost it. He started to thrust at his spot without restraint, making Don fall onto his chest, quivering and panting. Leo didn't let up until he felt Don clench around him, letting him know he came. Leo grunted and wrapped his arms around Donnie as he came deep in him.

They laid there and panted hard as they held each other. Donnie tried to wrangle his jellified arms to move, but Leo took care of him by crawling up the bed with him in his arms and wrapping them both up. It wasn't too long after that when they fell asleep, holding each other close.

"Have you decided any possible candidates?"

Leo had woken up about half an hour later as did Donnie, but he didn't expect him to be up just yet, "Other than my Warrior Leader, not really."

"I don't want him to be one." Donnie said in a quiet voice. He wasn't scared to voice his opinion around Leo, he was just terrified of what the consequences could be. Sometimes Leo would actually listen to him and get Donnie in trouble.

"Why not? Right now, he's the only other person I trust other than you and the Elder and I can't exactly choose the mutant rat as a life partner..." Leo joked, but looking down he saw Donnie was serious.

"Because just that. He's the Warrior Leader. I understand you two are close because you spend all day with him, but that may give him the much needed foothold he wants to be a tyrant to Atlantica. Look, I may just be paranoid, but I prefer if someone who didn't know your position was chosen. At least not until the ceremony. I understand that's hard as hell to find, but still."

Leo wrapped his arms around Don, "I know you may feel paranoid, but most of the time, you're right. So I'm gonna listen to you. And this time I won't get you in trouble. I promise. Okay?"

Donnie watched Leo as he stared at him, his intensely blue eyes getting to him. He sighed and nodded as he wrapped his arms around his chest, "You gotta go back, don't you?"

Leo sighed as he realized he was right yet again, "Yup...Gonna see you tonight?"

"Of course." Leo pecked Don's forehead before getting up and gathering his things to get dressed.

"I hope I can bring some meat from the butcher tonight. Think you can get some vegetables from the farmers? I can cook if you want." Donnie smiled at Leo as he offered to pamper him tonight. Even when Leo was exhausted, he still wanted to spoil his lover.

"Of course, I'd love that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mikey watched the youngest slaves running around and laughing. His heart ached for them. He used to be like that, so young, so carefree, just wanting to play. He still wanted to play. He still wanted to laugh and feel light like he used to. He curled into himself and pushed his face into his knees as he tried to keep from crying. Suddenly a warm strong hand placed itself on his shell, making him jump and flinch away.

Raphael frowned a little, hating how broken his friend was. He wanted to set about fixing him. He knew he could be funny and bright, but he was holding himself back. He wanted to kick the hell out of all of his past master for treating him with so much disdain and abuse. Although he did have one to thank.

"Mikey, can you tell me of your master you said you liked so much?" He knew that would get him to come out of his shell for long enough  to get close to him.

Mikey's eyes brightened as he remembered the nice old rabbit lady. He smiled as he remembered her and started to recount his story to him, "When I first became a slave, I was terrified that all slaves owners were extremely abusive. I was stolen from my home in Atlantica where most other terrapins are, but like your home, some have started tribes of their own. Anyway, I was kidnapped from my home along with my mother and sister. We were sold separately and I was sent alone to this little old rabbit woman."

Raphael smiled as he saw Mikey brighten up an grin for the first time in a few days. He knew seeing him getting beaten is what had Mikey down in the dumps more than ever lately, "She was so nice and sweet. I even got a bed and cover from her while I lived with her. I was a house slave. I cleaned and took care of her. She read to me, taught me how to cook and bake and she didn't mind my childish antics. She made me believe that slavery wasn't a big deal. I thought that there was in fact nice slave owners out there and not a lot of bad ones because of her."

Mikey's face darkened a little, making Raph angry, but he stayed silent, "After she died I was sold to another slave owner, one who was the complete opposite of her personality. He was a human who just hated me for no reason. I was a child, I wanted to play and joke and have fun, but he beat it out of me. The more I changed owners, the more I wanted to die. I hate not being able to have fun and express myself. My last owner died in some type of battle and I was bidded off to these humans who said they were gonna sell me for a profit."

Raphael nodded and pulled Mikey into his arms, "Just forget the rest of your owners. Think of that little old rabbit. She's the one you gotta focus on to have your light back. I love you when you have a smile on your face. You mustn't let others wipe it off because of their fear of you."

"But you don't smile." 

Raphael couldn't help but smirk, "I never smiled before I even got here."

Mikey nodded and curled into Raph's chest as he stared at the playing children, "What are we gonna do when they take us out again? I heard it wasn't gonna be for another week and a half."

Raphael heaved a deep sigh as he looked at the tight confines that held at least 20 terrapins, "Well if we all are taken out with their usual number of humans they use to take us out, then we have nothing to worry about. We just gotta have you and some women take care of the children."

"Hey!" Mikey whined playfully, making Raphael chuckle, "I'm not a girl!"

"I didn't say you were, Mikey. I just know you're gonna protect them. I trust you to protect them. If the women don't I know you'll be there at least." Raphael pressed his lips to his forehead and sighed.

"Okay. What do we do until then?"

"We figure out who all is going to help and who all is not. If we have enough to help, then the ones who won't can just run off once we're done. I don't give a damn about them. I just want you to be safe. It shouldn't be that hard. But then again, not a lot of turtles are willing to talk. You weren't when you first met me." Raph smiled down at him, making Mikey look away.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Raph smiled, glad to get a glimpse of that personality Mikey hid, "I just wanna go home. I'm not even sure where it is now. I never got a chance to do the hunting ceremony."

"Hunting ceremony?"

"It's a coming of age sorta deal. Males and females go out into the woods with the Leader and hunt. You have to come back with a certain number of an animal killed. If squirrels, 8, if rabbits, 5, if something bigger like deer, then 2, but if it's huge, then just one. It's showing you can take care of yourself to your parents. That's why everyone aim for deer, to show they can do it. I never got a chance to go. It's also a way to learn to track and figure out where you are. The first time we go with the Leader to learn, but not kill anything but the second time we go on our own."

"Hmm...is there anything else?"

Mikey nodded, "If you bring back something huge then you have the potential to train with the Leader in ninjutsu. I always liked nunchaku so I was really wanting to do it. Not many people come back with something huge."

"Ninjutsu?"

"An ancient fighting style of a human tribe. It requires years of training and great weapons." Mikey's eyes lit up again as he thought of being able to train with the Leader of his old tribe.

Raphael watched him, "Hm. Got any blades?"

Mikey nodded, "Of the blades, I always liked the katana, but there's another sorta blade called the sai. They're like...weird looking metal prongs. Still, they can do damage."

"How does your Leader become good at this ninjutsu?"

"Like I said, years of training, but ever Leader is sorta predetermined so they can begin learning early. They are masters by the time they choose their three life partners and can then begin training the younger ones who come in with sizable kills."

Raphael nodded thoughtfully, "If I find out where this place is, I'll take you there. I just wanna see how they live. After we go to my tribe, of course."

Mikey nodded and looked towards the playing kids again. They were sitting in a circle an laughing about a story one of them was making up. The adults watched with small smiles on their faces, loving these moments of brief happiness.


	4. Chapter 4

Leonardo thought over his lover's words as he flipped the piece of meat in the pan he had over the fire. He stared at it before adding some herbs and spices. Once he was sure he had a few seconds to think to himself, he turned away to grab a drink.

"So, someone who doesn't know of my position. That's a pretty hard requirement, Donnie..." Donatello wasn't there at the moment, but that didn't stop Leo from talking to him as he continued to contemplate his predicament. Leo raised a cup to his mouth as he let one ear listen to the meat crackling in the pan over the fire and his other listen for the return of his lover.

"Well, that and I never liked that Warrior Leader." Leo damn near jumped out of his shell, but he remained calm as if he expected him to show up. Donnie smiled as he showed him a bag full of carrots and potatoes, "I'm cooking these to help you out. That and I'm sure we need to talk."

Leo had been training Donatello in the art of ninjutsu ever since Donnie brought back a buck with impressive muscle mass that fed an entire family of 10 for a week. Leo always admired how Don could still sneak up on him even though he was the one who taught him how to do such things.

"Yes, we do. You do realize that anywhere I go in this village, there are people who automatically know who I am? How the hell am I gonna pull that off?"

Donatello sighed and pulled out a small knife to start cutting up vegetables over a wooden tub a third of the size of the one they used to bathe in, "Well I never said it was required, but it is a great idea. Someone who doesn't know your power doesn't have a reason to try and use it against you."

"I know! Damn! That's just common sense." 

Don flinched at having been snapped at, but he decided not to indulge int he slight wound to his pride as he knew Leo was just frustrated. Leo sighed and moved over to flip the meat again, making sure it didn't dry out while still being cooked all the way through.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap." Donnie nodded, but he didn't respond. Leo hated when Don gave him a little of the cold shoulder so he moved over and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, "I love youuuu!" Leo whispered in his ear in a sing song voice. Don bit his cheek to try and keep from smiling, but failed as Leo kept going, rocking side to side and getting louder. As soon as Donnie burst into a fit of giggles, Leo pulled back to pull the meat off of the fire.

"You're forgiven. Jeez, you always know how to get me to forgive you instantly."

Leo grinned as he set down the meat onto the table and moved to stand back beside Donnie, his face a little more serious now, "Now, guess what I heard."

"What?"

"Guess!"

"You found a new partner?"

Leo shook his head.

"Elder decided to make you Leader anyway?"

Leo smirked and shook his head.

"You got a new pair of katana from the blacksmith?"

Leo smiled brightly, but shook his head, "Not bad, not bad. I wish that was real actually."

"Dammit, Leo, what is it?!"

"Well you know that subtribe we've been arguing with for a while?"

Donatello nodded and moved to put the diced veggies in the pan, replacing the meat and placed it over the fire to start softening, "What's going on with them?"

"They've been killed out." Leo's face wasn't too happy, but the surprise registered from his to Don's face.

"You're serious? I mean, I wouldn't wish death on them, but that...wow. What happened to any survivors?"

Leo shrugged, "Only one showed up here and he said there were more, but he doesn't know if any of them are still surviving."

Donnie nodded, "What if they got caught by those humans? They could be slaves!"

Leo nodded, "That means we have to keep an eye out for any slave shipments. Oh, and we should go out there to try and see if anyone returns, just in case, ya know?"

Donnie nodded, "But why me?"

"You're the doctor! They could be severely hurt!"

"But what of our turtles here?!" Donnie was stirring the pan while adding herbs and spices. As he bent in front of the brick oven/stove, Leo eyed his back end, "I don't exactly have any trusted doctors willing to help out here while I'm there."

Leo bit his lip before raising his eyes from Don's tail to his eyes, "Uh...Well, I mean they can't be that sick. We haven't had a major illness for a while, which is good." He moved to stand beside Don as he bent to make sure none of the diced vegetables were sticking to the pan, "I'm sure a few hours away won't be too bad. Besides, even if we did argue, we should still take care of our own."

Donnie nodded as he raised and turned to look at Leo, "Something to separate us from humans, huh?" Leo nodded as he sighed and bent again to check on the veggies, "Well, I guess it shouldn't be too bad. I'll just tell my apprentice and we'll be fine. I'm sure he can at least go to check on some of the lesser illnesses."

Leo nodded and gently pulled on Donnie's tail before walking to the table as if he did nothing. As he turned to sit in his chair he caught hazel eyes looking at him. He smiled innocently as Donnie smirked and turned back around.

Donnie wiggled his tail, clearly teasing the watching terrapin, "You know? I know why they like to capture us for sex slaves now."

"Oh yeah?" Leo husked out, wanting to forget dinner, opting for an early retiring, "What's that?"

"We have the stamina to last for days. Not to mention the libido." Donnie wiggled his tail a little more as he stood up straight, teasing Leo more by keeping him from seeing his tail. Donnie brought the pan over quickly to avoid too much burning and sat in his chair, smiling at a drooling Leo. He knew he wasn't exactly drooling over the food this time, despite only eating half a bowl of soup for lunch.

"Leo?"

"Eat. Once you're done, I swear that bed is just gonna be too small." Donnie grinned and started to put small piece after small piece into his mouth, teasing Leo more. Once he did finish however, he was sure Leo growled before hauling him over his shoulder and carting him towards the back room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raphael lay with his back towards the rest of the inhabitants of the small room as Mikey lay between him and a wall. He watched as bright blue eyes stared up into his. They were a lot more confident now than they were during daylight hours.

"You sure?" Raph whispered barely loud enough for Mike to hear. Everyone else was sleep and a few of them snored loud enough to keep Raph's and Mikey's conversation drowned out.

"Yes." Mikey nodded just in case Raph hadn't heard him and reached forward, rubbing his fingers of the scratched surface of Raph's plastron. He studied every scratch there as he had for the past few nights when they started this.

Raphael had been the one to initiate it, by taking his hand and making him feel all down his plastron to the bulge in between his legs. The first night, Mikey jerked his hand away and stared wildly at Raph. The first time he touched a turtle there, he was molested and abused. The action brought back bad memories. Raph didn't push him anymore that night, but the next night, Mikey was the one to touch him.

He did it when he saw his golden eyes slide close, only to have them snap back open and bore into his soul. Mikey's hand froze as he felt Raph stare into him, looking for anything other than what he hoped was there. That night Raph only pulled Mikey to his chest and slept with him, obviously not wanting to go farther. After the morning came and Raph got to ask what was wrong with Mikey was when he told him why he suddenly changed directions.

"I never wanted to touch someone like that before I met you. I was always forced before. This time I wanna do it on my own accord. I want it to be with you."

Raphael stared into his eyes tonight, seeing the determination settle into them. He's never seen that before and he loved it. He loved Mikey as confident. He wanted him to be like this more, but small touches were okay for now. He was going to let Mikey move at his own pace.

Mikey's hands continued down the broad chest and flat stomach towards the waistband of the cloth Raph wore. Raph lifted it up to give Mikey access to his slit. He tried not to seem as if he was rushing him. Mikey moved closer to Raph and gently started to prod and rub more. Raph let his eyes slide half closed as he let Mikey touch him. He tried to keep his breathing under control as Mikey's fingers got bolder and spread his slit to reach inside and touch the head of his half hard member.

Raph sucked in a quick breath, but stopped it as soon as he could to keep their actions unnoticed. Mikey stared up at him, stopping his movements to see how they effected Raph. Raph opened his golden eyes to stare at Mikey, asking him to go further without actually speaking.

Mikey turned his attention back towards the bulge now pressing and throbbing in his hand. The action made Raph pop into the air quickly and slip into Mikey's hand. Mikey gasped quietly as he stared into the dark at the dark green member. It was huge against his hand. He gently wrapped his fingers around it and pumped experimentally. Raph grunted softly, closing his eyes and biting his lip. Mikey glanced up in time to see Raph let go and leave himself in Mikey's care.

Mikey started to stroke and pump his erection, Mikey's own erection starting to push free and press against the cloth he wore. He was soon out int he air as he watched how his movements had Raphael coming undone. It wasn't a few moments later he felt a huge, warm hand engulf his own erection. He was pretty well endowed, but Raphael had freakishly big hands. Mikey jerked and yelped a little. He fought to keep the sound in his throat as Raph started to stroke him.

Both of their breathing was getting quite loud, but soon Raph leaned forward to kiss Mikey full against his mouth to keep his yelps and moans down to a minimum. Both of their hands stroked each other to completion. Mikey was panting softly as he moved to lean against Raph's chest, not caring of the sticky feeling on his hand. He just wanted to sleep and he didn't want to do it anywhere else beside Raphael's chest.

Raph smiled down at the curled up turtle in his chest. He wiped his hand off on the inside of the back part of his cloth he wore at the moment. He couldn't care less at the moment about the consequences. He just wanted to go to sleep with the beautiful turtle in his arms at the moment.

~~~~~~

Leo laid on his stomach and looked at the sprawled out turtle beside him, smirking at how easily he could be teased out of his control, by him. He both hated and loved it. Don would never manipulate him seriously, but occasionally, he lost  a day off he could use sleeping. He loved it because it was Donnie. Donnie is beautiful and sweet and loving, but sometimes he needed to be spoiled. He gave so much and he needed to take sometimes.

Leo didn't mind giving in place of others taking from him. Mostly because Leo had it to spare. And he didn't care if it was his last, he'd give it willingly to Don. He turned onto his back to stare at the ceiling, thinking about the many things that needed to be done next week.

He needed to try and get seamstresses to make heavier clothing for upcoming winter and he needed to speak with Warrior Leader about their defenses and patrols. He needed to get to that subtribe and try to see who all needs help and shelter. He needed to see how many of their slaves needed to be taken care of.

Yes they had slaves. Their slaves had a lot more rights than other slaves in other tribes, but they were still owned. More because most of them are sex slaves of some type, but others are just slaves because they know nothing better to do than to serve people. Most slaves earn their freedom and make their own living in Atlantica. Although it being quite rare. Leo didn't mind it because it just added to the diversity and population of their village. 

Soon, they wouldn't be able to call themselves a village anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

Raphael looked forward, catching Michelangelo tossing back a terrified glance at him. He smirked, trying to show his confidence and cockiness off in that moment, but it was slowly waning as every other turtle seemed to be keeping their head straight ahead. They seemed to be aborting the mission. He tried to hold on to faith as he waited for the one in the front of their sorta chain gang line to look back at him. He looked ahead with his head held high, awaiting the signal. 

The human in front stopped the line, yelling back to the rest of the humans that came along, just five to the thirty terrapins, that he had to use the bathroom. He walked off a little ways into the woods and placed his club of sorts and arrows beside a tree. Raphael watched him closely before turning his head  back forward to catch the line leader glance back. He nodded an looked back towards the end of the line, the male nodded to him and turned slightly, ready to follow out the plan.

The human right beside Raphael turned his back to Raphael, a bad decision and just the diversion he needed. Raphael kicked his leg out and pressed against the back of his knee, making the human's legs buckle and fall to his hands and knees. The other humans saw him fall and came forward to check on him. 

He shook them off angrily and stood, turning quickly to look at Raphael and the other turtles who were standing in close proximity to him when he fell, "Which one of you did it?!" He asked angrily. 

The other humans were so wrapped up in trying to calm him down, they didn't notice the ends of the line wrapping around them, trapping them. They began to cut off the rope with a hidden knife behind their captors' backs.

"Huh?! Was it you?!" He rushed forward, trying to scare the female terrapin behind Raphael. She cowered away and shook her head quickly, the human's tactic obviously working. He next moved to Mikey, trying to work up his nerve to confront the biggest one of them all, Raphael.

"You?! Huh? The crybaby?" Mikey flinched at the taunting, but he shook his head quickly. The knife had freed over half the turtles and the females were already pulling the children to a safe distance as the males came up and wrapped the rope around two of the remaining four humans. They stood behind the one who was watching the madman yell at the slaves. They were the easiest. They were strangled almost silently, compared to the man's yelling that is.

"How 'bout you? You seem to have the balls to do such a thing." The human stood to the side of Raphael, Mikey finally getting the knife to free himself and the second to last human being taken down right behind the angry man.

"Yes. It was me. Problem?" Raphael growled down at the human. He always hated such puny creatures. They had no remorse for each other nor any other species. He couldn't wait until they were wiped from existence.

The man grinned as he turned, "Well, boys, looks li--" He stopped, the smirk on his face falling as soon as he saw his fallen comrades and the recently freed turtles closing in on him.

He yelled out the leader's name only to have him brought to be thrown with the rest of his friends, as lifeless as they were, "You're not gonna hurt anyone anymore."

The human turned to see Raphael almost bare down on him, but he managed to break through the shells and arms to grab his old leader's arrow and bow. One terrapin started to give chase, but he quickly earned an arrow to the shoulder. 

"Stay back! Let me get him!" Raphael ordered, determined not to have anyone else injured. He gently patted the shell of the injured turtle as he went after the human. Unbeknownst to him, Mikey followed him, hoping to help him out.

The human rushed through the woods, determined to put the human six feet under for hurting his Mikey. He growled as he pursued the man. He man ran desperately, but soon figuring he had nothing left to lose, he stopped and turned to face the turtle, the bow held and ready to loose the last arrow at him. 

Raphael came to a stop and stared at the man, his golden eyes boring into him, "You sure ya got the balls to do that?"

The human growled and let the arrow go to speed through the air. Raphael narrowly missed it, catching sight of a glimpse of green behind him. He turned to see the arrow bury itself into green flesh, ripping a scream from a familiar voice.

"Mikey!" He saw the younger fall back on his shell from the pain rocketing through his leg.

The human gasped just a bit from the shock of actually hitting something when he expected to miss. He looked back to the huge turtle, to find his fiery gaze on him again. The look alone made him freeze up. He stood there, paralyzed as the larger advanced on him, seething.

Raphael returned to where the other slaves stood around waiting for them. He had Mikey over his shoulder, "Hey, is everyone okay?" 

Everyone nodded, except the guy with a ripped piece of cloth around his leg were the arrow head used to be, "I'm not exactly okay, but I'm alive, so I guess that's something."

Raphael smirked and gently put Mikey down to get looked at next. One female who had taken on getting the arrow out of the other's leg, tried to do the same with Mikey, but she shook her head, "I can't take it out. I'm afraid it might have connected with a fatal spot in his leg. If I take it out, he could die of blood loss."

Raphael felt like he was going to throw up, "So, what do we do?" 

"Can we still go to that village of yours? There could be someone there to help." Raphael nodded as he remembered there had been a more seasoned healer in his tribe. He pulled Mikey up and wrapped his arm over his shoulder, making sure he put most of his weight on Raphael.

"C'mon. If you have somewhere else to go, you might wanna go now. Everyone else can follow me. I wasn't captured too far from here..."

Raphael took care of about 10 other turtles, including Mikey, for the next few days as they trekked slowly through the foliage to where he remembered where his tribe was. He continued forward, talking softly to Mikey, glad to see a smile on his face yet again as they came in through the trees into the clearing.

Raphael stared in complete shock at the charred remains of his home. He had to try and blink a few times to make sure his mind remembered he had someone depending on his arms not to fail. He wanted to go numb. He wanted to drop to his knees and cry, but he had Mikey depending on his strength.

"Where is everyone...?" Mikey whispered almost simultaneously with a small child that had followed them. Raphael pulled him towards the middle of the small village. He turned slowly, looking at how every single building he's been to ever since he was young had been burned to the ground. No one was around trying to rebuild or anything. That only led him to believe they were all dead. He wanted to cry.

"We were hoping there'd be survivors. We just wouldn't expect you all to have the markings of slaves." Raphael whipped around quickly to see a foreign turtle standing near the entering road. He had a group of warriors and youngsters behind him, all obviously wary of the group of terrapins standing with Raphael.

Blue eyes studied golden ones for a time being. Mikey broken the silence, "Where are you all from?" His voice was small, but since their recent escape, he regained a little of his confidence.

"Atlantica." Mikey gasped, bring a hand to cover his mouth. He never thought he'd see his home again, much less anyone who could take him back. Donatello slowly poked out from behind Leo catching sight of the two injured turtles.

Don immediately rushed over with his bag trying to pull Mikey from Raph, but he pulled him out of Don's reach, growling possessively. Hazel eyes met his, making him gasp quietly. They held no fear, but more compassion for the well being of others. 

"Let me help him..."

Mikey didn't wait for Raphael go give permission as he hopped sobbing into Don's arms, "Oh, please! Take me back home!" 

Raphael stared shocked at the behavior of his lover as he clung to Donnie as if his life depended on it. Don wasted no time picking him up and carting him off towards the group of warriors. Raphael started to follow, but he was stopped by the Warrior Leader, a turtle of almost the same size of as him.

He glared at him, about to growl for him to get out of the way, but Leo stepped forward, "Calm down. Donatello is our tribe doctor and your friend is in good hands. I promise on my life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leonardo had spent the whole week trying to get feuds to end and to set about seeing who all was going on the Trek, he was so tired. He didn't mind going on the Trek. It helped with the stress of babysitting a village full of turtles who seemed to always need something. 

He huffed and pushed into the Warrior Leader's home, "Hey, you up!? I need to speak to you!" He didn't care that he was barging into his personal quarters.

"What?! Damn..." The Warrior Leader came in the front room with only a shell on his back, his own purple eyes blazing with annoyance at having been woken up, "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for that stupid Trek? Why the hell you barging in my cabin?"

Leo rolled his eyes and folded his arms, "I need you to gather up some warriors and get ready. I need you all to come with me to Terrata. The Terratans have been wiped out about a week ago and we need to go see if there are survivors. If there are, we need to round them up and bring them back."

The Warrior Leader sat down on the chair at his dining table, snorting when he heard why Leo woke him up, "Oh! Ain't that rich!?  Isn't that the same subtribe that's been arguing with us for months? Why should we go save their shells?"

Leo sighed, watching and assessing his Warrior Leader, now noticing why Donatello was wary of him becoming a close ally of Leo's. He seemed to have no remorse for almost anyone, even for those of his own kind. Leo didn't like that and he was glad Don checked him on it.

"Because even if we did argue with them, they are still part of our kind. We should care for any ally, even if they were an annoying itch in our shell. Now get some warriors ready. We don't need a big party. Just some protection there and back."

The Warrior Leader nodded and sighed, standing, "Fine, but I need a bath first." Leo nodded and left, leaving the Warrior Leader to his business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You all should come back to Atlantica with us. It's clear from our scouts that Terrata has been wiped out and we wish to extend our hospitality towards you all."

Raphael shook his head, "We can't have been wiped out so easily..."

One of the male slaves stepped forward to talk to Raphael, "Well we can't exactly stay here and try to rebuild either. We got children and they need to be taken care of. I say we go with them."

Raphael wanted to argue more, but seeing the way Mikey was clinging to the doctor and how everyone else had already started to gravitate towards the strangers, he knew he'd lose, "What do you have to offer us?"

Leo took a deep breath, "Well, you would still be considered slaves, but--"

One male, the one who had taken an arrow to the leg, threw his hands up in frustration, "Dammit we just fucking escaped slave traffickers! We don't want to be bossed around anymore!"

Leo waited patiently as he listened to the turtle rant before continuing, "But the slaves in our home have more rights and freedoms than slaves in other regions. I'll explain in more detail, but I'm afraid we are not safe here. We don't know who did this destruction, but we do not wish to be here if or when they return. Will you come with us?"

Raphael saw Mikey look at him, his beautiful blue eyes begging him to say yes. He turned to look at the rest of the slaves who had come to rely on him. He knew they'd follow him anywhere since he presented safety and security. 

He turned to stare into those intensely blue eyes. The seemed to be searching more in his soul than he was intending to do of his. He wanted to see if he was being truthful. The turtle gave nothing away, but his eyes and demeanor told Raph he was true to his word.

"Alright. We'll come with you to Atlantica. But I want to know of how we'll still be slaves there. I do not wish to put these people back into harms way."

Leo nodded, "I wouldn't dream of it." The warriors began to circle and help them into the group, gently guiding them back on the road leading from the subtribe's previous area and towards Atlantica. Mikey was fighting not to sob at the happiness in his heart. Raphael was fighting not to snatch him out of Don's arms. Leo was fighting not to stare too long at the huge turtle that walked beside him. Donnie fought to try and keep Mikey under control knowing too much movement may be trouble for his leg. 

The group of turtles moved carefully, but quickly back home.


	6. Chapter 6

"I will not lie to you, I hate the rule myself. My father and I have been working tirelessly to try to get our Elder to let us change it, but he's been quite stubborn with us."

"Lemme try to convince him."

"I'm afraid we cannot let you near our Elder. Only certain turtles are allowed even on the road to get to his cabin, much less enter his home."

Raphael and Leo were walking together at the front of the group, the Warrior Leader on Leo's right and Raphael on his left. The Warrior Leader was more just standing guard over the Leader, but he wasn't too fond of this new turtle anyway.

"But we have been able to make life much better for the slaves in our village. See," Leo stopped to point to the shell of one small girl, who flinched a little before seeing his warm smile, "The markings on your shell will forever be there. And by some stupid rule, if you have this mark then you are marked for life, therefore a slave for life."

He traced the outline of the foreign symbol burned into the little girl's shell, "I've always hated this da-- symbol." Leo stood back up and patted the little girl on the head, sending her off. He started to walk with Raphael again to catch up with the front of the group, "As I was saying, we've been able to make life a lot better for the slaves in our village."

"Oh, really?" Raphael asked sarcastically. Leo sensed his frustration and just nodded, knowing he was going to have a hard time believing.

"First, we do not buy them. We volunteer to take care of them. And then the slave may move in with the turtle who is taking care of them or they may live in a cabin of their own. But that slave has a life time obligation to take care and help the turtle who owns them. Usually the turtle who volunteers to take care of the slave has money or food to spare to give to the slave since their primary source of money and food would be that owner."

Raphael wasn't really getting the good in what Leo was saying, but he decided to let him finish, keeping his side eye on Mikey who was being carried by Don. Don, at first glance, didn't seem to have the strength, but he surprised Raphael.

"Now, we strictly forbid any beating or physical punishment of any kind of the slaves."

A slave in the back of the group gave a whoop, making Don smirk a bit. He had to admit, he liked this group.

"But--" The slave groaned, making Don bite his lip to keep from laughing,"But there are other forms of punishment, although they are rarely taken from what I've seen."

"And those forms are?" Mikey asked quietly, more to Don than Leo. Don spoke up, drawing Raphael's and Leo's attention as he explained to Mikey.

"Well seeing as how the owner is the slave's primary source of money, which of course leads up to food and shelter, or just food, then the owner has a right to sorta bar the allowance. Not by a lot, the most is 50% percent of the monetary allowance, or they can receive no less than two loves of bread and a hunk of meat for the week. They must survive, of course, but they will not have the privilege of say cookies or cakes or something of that nature. Almost like punishing a child."

"But I'm not a child." Raphael almost growled.

Don shrugged as he hoisted Mikey up a little more, "It's not my choice. I'd have you all free and wherever your heart's content."

Raphael deemed he liked this turtle who carried his lover. He decided to try to get him to volunteer to keep at least Mikey if not him.

"And that's all I can think of to warn you all of, right now. Don, can you think of anything?"

Donatello shook his head before the top of the village homes, reminded him of something. "OH! Yes, see we have to sorta pull together the village to see who all wants to volunteer to take care of you all. It shouldn't be a bad turn out seeing as there's only about ten of you."

A woman from the back came forward, "Well what about my children? I do not wish to break up my family, sir." 

Don smiled at her, warming her instantly, "Well, most of the time families aren't broken up, but if they are, it's because two turtles had a mutual agreement to help the family. One turtle only has so much to give to one turtle. Another turtle may take her children, while still keeping them in touch with her, and shelter and feed them. You can still raise your children, but the turtle who owns you cannot feed them as much as another may."

Leo spoke, "That rarely happens, but you can still have a home of your own, but your children will get their food from someone else. It's just to try and spread the cost of everything and help volunteers as well as you all."

Raph had to admit, that was better than what the other regions were trying to offer. He wanted to feel bitter though, "When can you pull together people to volunteer?"

Leo sighed as they finally walked into the village, "As soon as possible..." He turned to the Warrior Leader, "Hey. I need you to try and get everyone to the center to get these slaves homes. Take them to the town cabin, alright?" The Warrior Leader nodded and headed off with his warriors, shouting to the slaves to follow him.

Raph looked to Mikey, who was being carried away by Don, "I'm not leaving him." Don looked up to Raph before nodding and carrying him toward the cabin he shared with Leo.

Leo headed off towards the road that led up to the Elder's cabin, leaving the others to their business. Donnie pushed in the door and carried Mikey towards the bed and laid him down on the edge.

"Fucking finally...okay, wait here and I'm gonna fix you up something to help with the pain. I'm gonna have to get that arrowhead out and it's gonna hurt like hell." He looked at Mikey to see he was barely being listened to, but he noticed why. Mikey was staring in wonder at the softness encasing him. The bed, the blanket and pillow. He smiled and gently rubbed Mikey's arm before rushing towards the front room to began on the remedy to relieve his pain.

Raphael sat on the end of the bed near Mikey's feet, watching as he savored the feeling of being in a bed, "Enjoying yaself there?"

Mikey grinned at him, the brightness in his eyes coming back, but it disappeared once he saw Don return with a steaming cup, "You gotta drink this. I know you're gonna hate this, but I have to get the arrowhead out so your leg can heal all the way. It's going to be harder since it's been in there for days." He handed Mikey and rolled up rag to bite on as he knelt by his leg.

Mikey bit down on the rag and clutched at the bed sheets as he watched Don feel and touch tenderly, "Thank goodness...It missed the fatal part in your leg, but this is still going to hurt." Mikey nodded quickly as Raph moved around to hold his hand.

"I'm here. You're okay."

Don used a hunting knife he seemingly pulled from no where to try and pray away the flesh from the arrowhead. The whole process was bloody and grueling for everyone involved. As soon as Don was finished, Leo stepped into the backroom, seeing blood on the bedsheets and a flushed terrapin in his bed.

"You alright?" Mikey nodded as he let out a deep breath, glad he was fine, "Great. I have good news and bad news."

Raphael stood, "Bad news?"

"There are no more volunteers at the town cabin to take you two in."

"Good news?"

"Everyone else has a home and no families broken up."

Raphael nodded, actually happy, but he didn't feel it for long as he wondered what was going to happen to him and Mikey.

Mikey asked for him, "Wh-what'll happen to us?"

Leo smiled, "You'll be staying here, with us."

Raphael's brow furrowed as he heard Leo, "Us?" Leo nodded towards Don who smiled up at him.

"Besides it's better for me to take care of Mikey. We are the volunteers who'll take care of you two. Right now our cabin is too small, but we'll work on that." Raphael felt overjoyed that the doctor was personally taking care of Mikey, but he was still quite wary of Leonardo.

He nodded, "Well where will we sleep?" 

Don stood up, "Well we can't exactly pull another bed in here just yet, but we can pull some travelling beds in here to put on the floor. I'll sleep in the bed with Mikey, just in case he needs something in the middle of the night and Leo and you can sleep on the travelling beds. Once Mikey is fine, we can work on getting some real beds and getting another room set up for you two. Or if you prefer, we can work on getting you two a cabin built."

Raphael didn't know how Don knew of his intentions with Mikey, but he was glad he didn't have to voice any displeasure at having to be separated from him, "But we'd still be kinda dependent on you two?"

Leo nodded, "But you can still find some kind of job around here. You just won't be paid or given enough food to survive. Which is why we are here." Raphael nodded and looked to Mikey who smiled at him, making him relax a little more.

"Fine. Where should I go to get these travelling beds?" 

Leo shook his head and stood to walk out the door, "You're fine. I'll go get them." Raphael nodded and sat on the floor beside the bed as Don fed Mikey more pain reliever.

"Will you tell me of your relationship with him?" Raph asked quietly. He was never one to beat around the bush and he was curious. Don glanced at him before nodding.

"We are life partners. We are mated." Donnie decided it better to not say anything about Leo's position in the village, deciding that if he wanted anyone else to share his Leo, it'd be these two. They had heart and something inside them he liked. Even if the younger was broken, Don was sure he could fix him up easily. It's the bigger one he's worried about. He seems to be one to hide his feelings. Don could sense the distress of his heart when they discovered them at the charred remains of the smaller village. Don was determined to fix him too.

"What do you want to eat tonight? I was thinking soup, but I'm sure--I didn't even get your names..." He realized.

"I'm Raphael and this here is Michelangelo. I call him Mikey." Don smiled at them both.

"I am Donatello, I'm sure you already know that and the other turtle who just left is Leonardo. Very glad to meet you." 

They smiled at each other before Leo came back in with two thick rolls under his arms and blankets tossed over his shoulders, "Best two I could find. So, what should I go get to eat?"

Don looked to Mikey, who sputtered a little, "You want me to choose?" Donnie nodded, "Uh...meat...and...potatoes..." Donnie smiled and looked back at Leo who did a little salute and left out. 

Raphael stood quickly, "Wait for me." Leo nodded to him before they both left the house together. Leo knew he was wary of trusting him. He hoped this little shopping trip could mean they could bond a bit. Leo wanted, no, needed to earn his trust. He didn't know why, but he just needed it.


	7. Chapter 7

Leo looked over at the huge turtle walking next to him. He watched as Raphael took in the other inhabitants of the village. Some stopped to just stare while some others scurried pass. Leo kept his eye on him the whole way to the butcher.

"Why do they look at me like that?"

Leo smiled before telling the butcher what he wanted to be cut up for him, "Well you're the biggest turtle in the village. It's not surprising they find you shocking and a little intimidating."

Raphael turned from the village to take in account the turtle standing next to him, "Intimidating, huh? Then why were you watching me all the way over here?"

Leo didn't hesitate, "You're quite handsome." Leo tossed Raphael a glance as he picked up the meat the butcher wrapped in cloth and headed towards the door. Raphael stood in shock for just a second before following him out.

"Careful there. If your doctor hears--"

"He'd encourage it actually." Leo shrugged as he turned to head towards the farmers' part of the village to get some herbs, spices, and potatoes.

"Encourage?" Leo looked up at him, wondering if he should tell him. He decided to hold off on it for a little while longer.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I actually want to know if there's something else you'd like to have to eat tonight? I know meat and potatoes may be a little too...elementary for someone of your size." Leo smiled, obviously joking. Raphael, successfully distracted from their previous topic grinned.

"Hell yeah. But I'm sure Mikey deserves it a bit more than what I want."

"Yeah? Well from what the other slaves that came in tell me, you were the one who led the escape. I say that's a feat worth rewarding. We can go to the bakery if you're feeling up for some sweet rolls." Leo grinned at him. He was happy to have a reason to bring them home. Don forbid overconsumption of the tasty treats.

"I'm guessing you really want some?"

"Guilty. Donnie doesn't like me eating a lot of them. Gotta get them in somewhere." Leo grinned at him, catching a smirk. A smirk he deemed quite handsome and he was sure he'd see plenty more of it.

"He is a doctor, right? He must know best."

"Of course! But I mean, one every blue moon mustn't be bad."

Raphael nodded his agreement before grinning down at him, "Sure, but I want at least two." Leo nodded as he seemed happy to finally have an excuse to bring back his favorite unhealthy snack. They took a quick detour and headed towards a bigger building. Inside was a sweet looking female turtle.

"Hey, Leo! How're you?" 

"Hey sis!" Leo grinned at his little sister. She had always been the family cook, one who loved the fires of ovens and tastes of sweets. Her thick hips showed it off quite well, "I know Donnie sorta banned you from selling me anything, but I have a great reason to be in here today!"

She gave him a playfully skeptical look before taking in the presence of Raphael, almost back pedaling. He smiled as heartwarming as he could muster, which is hard for him.

"Uh, I'm guessing it has something to do with him?" She asked in a quiet voice. Raphael almost scowled, but he remembered he was a foreigner in their village. 

Leo nodded and smiled, "This here is Raphael. He led the escape for the new bunch of slaves that came in."

She grinned up at him, "Great! Donnie can't be upset! Well, if he is, send him to me. I got him." She winked at her brother before smiling at Raphael, "Well, sir, it's your day. What do you want?"

Raphael smirked at Leo, "I'm guessing a half dozen of sweet rolls would be in order." 

She snickered, "Good job, Leo. Coming right up. Some are fresh out of the oven. I just gotta pack them up." She smiled and moved towards the backroom where the ovens and pastries were. That left Leo and Raphael alone.

"Your sister? She works here in the bakery?"

Leo nodded as he swiped a strawberry from one of the baskets that held berries around the room, "Yup. She's always loved sweets and cooking. Just seemed to be natural for her. I never knew she'd be the first baker in town. That's why she has a lot of custom. Well," He looked around that the nearly empty front room, "On days when people are planning for festivals or something. But either way, she's well off."

Raphael nodded and eyed Leo, "Well what's your job in the village then?"

There it was. The question he'd been dreading. Leo swiped another berry before turning to look at Raph. He looked into his golden eyes, noting how they seemed to be molten gold more than anything, "I guess you can say I'm the peace keeper." It wasn't a total lie. Thankfully, the baker returned with the basket covering the sweet rolls.

"It's on the house! I got a sweet new helper because of your heroism!" She grinned at him as a familiar face poked it's head out the back. The slave that had helped him plan the escape smiled at him and saluted. Raphael returned it before taking the basket from her.

"Thank you." Leo smiled before heading out the door.

"See ya, sis! Tell mom I'll see her later! Don's been wanting to talk to her!" His sister nodded and turned back to finish chopping berries.

The two walked through the lively village, a few familiar faces waving or smiling at Raphael. They seemed happy. He was grateful for this place. He knew if they hadn't come along, they probably would've been starving out in the woods. He doesn't know how to take care of a lot of people. Just himself or himself and a few. He'd always been sorta the loner. 

Leo and he stopped to grab a bag of potatoes and headed back towards the cabin.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mikey seemed so small and fragile to him. He sat in a chair next to the bed now. Michelangelo had been told to try and get some sleep, but it seems he's gotten even more wary of his presence. Mikey, instead of closing his eyes and relaxing, had tensed and stared at him all while he sat in the chair next to the bed.

"Why won't you sleep?"

Mikey said nothing as he shrugged timidly. Donnie sighed and pitched forward a little, making Mikey flinch. Donnie frowned and rubbed his face in exasperation.

"Look, Mikey, I don't wanna force you to do anything, but rest is good for you." He looked back onto those sweet looking blue eyes. He wanted to pull him into his lap and cuddle him. He knew he'd probably earn a beating if he even tried to touch the smaller terrapin.

"I--I don't wanna sleep. I'm hungry..." Mikey's declaration had given Don hope. He was more confident to say what's wrong with him instead of staying silent. That means he was making progress. Don smiled.

"Don't worry. Leo and Raphael will be back soon with the food. Then I'll cook. Alright? We'll build you back up nice and strong and then you can play games with us. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Donnie knew Mikey was just a kid. As all kids do, he seemed to like the idea of playing games.

"What kind of games?" Don hadn't expected that. He hadn't played games since he began to train with Leo.

"Well, we can make up some new ones. Or, when your legs get better, we can head out to the spring we use to take cold baths and play Marco Polo."

"Can we play anything right now?"

Donnie was taken aback. He had nothing to play right now. His hesitation made Mikey shut back down and Don regretted it, "No no no, it's not that I don't want to play. I just don't have anything in here for us to play."

But he had lost his chance. Mikey was curling back into himself, " 'M hungry." Donnie sighed and stared to stand, but seeing Mikey flinch he sat back down.

"I won't hurt you. I promise..." Donnie's soft hazel eyes were appealing to Mikey, but he's been lied to before. He stayed wary of his presence. Don sighed again before leaving the room, leaving Mikey by himself in the big bed. It was so soft and warm. Mikey suddenly felt heavy. He wanted to just....

And he was gone. Mikey snored loudly as soon as he let himself relax enough to fall asleep. The adrenaline and fear that had been keeping him up had faded away and Don smiled victoriously from the front room as he heard the snores echo out to him. As he stoked the fire up, Raphael and Leo stepped through the door. A familiar sweet smell had him jerking up an turning to glare at Leo.

Leo grinned sheepishly, "Hey! I have a good explanation." Don folded his arms and rose an eyebrow, nonverbally asking what Leo could possibly say to give him merit to disobey him.

Raphael snickered from behind him, watching the whole event go down. Leo stared and inched forward slowly with his hands raised as if he was trying to calm a dangerous animal, which he was.

"Alright, I heard from some of the slaves when we went to get them volunteered for?" Don nodded tersely, "They said he was the one who planned and led the escape that led them here with us. Then he proceeded to lead them to Terrata, supposedly to safety. But we arrived." 

Don watched Leo as he walked over and placed the meat and potatoes on the table. Leo smiled, "I figured he should be rewarded."

"And you did that by getting him some of  _your_ favorite pastries?" Leo rubbed the back of his neck, looking back at Raphael. Raph saw the pleading look in his eye and decided to step forward.

"Well, actually, we seem to have a mutual favorite when it comes to pastries. He bought enough for all of us, but I wanted two soo..." Raphael stuck out the basket that held six thick buns. The smell that wafted off of them almost had Leo drooling.

"That is quite fine, Raphael, but there are six. If each of us have one, even with you having two that leaves one left." He immediately glared at Leo who grinned sheepishly again.

"The extra one is for Mikey. For being a good sport when he got the arrowhead taken out of his leg." The excuse came from nowhere but it did help the situation. Donnie smiled and nodded before covering them back up and putting them next to the oven to stay warm. While his shell was turned, Leo waved his arms and silently 'yelled' at Raph.

Raphael shrugged as he fought to keep from snickering. When Don turned back around, both were watching him as if they hadn't even interacted with each other. 

"Well, Mikey's asleep so I'm sure you two wouldn't mind helping me cook." 

Leo smiled and shook his head as he moved to grab a knife and start peeling potatoes, "Of course not."

Don smiled at Raph as he grabbed the cloth of meat, "Could you help Leo? There's water in that barrel over there,"He pointed in the corner, "You could rinse them with some water from there and chop them up to be cooked easier. There's a pot in the pantry." Don showed a closed door that was almost invisible to the naked eye. Raph nodded and moved to open it. When he did, he wondered why they even went out for any of the food. 

There was a lot of vegetation hanging in the room, but on the floor were piles of metal pots. He picked one up before walking back out the door. He crossed to the water barrel and filled the pot with water before moving to sit next to Leo, "Uh, where's another knife?"

Leo got up to grab one from the pantry, "Sorry, usually only one of us cuts or chops."

"What's with all the hanging plants in there? I figured we could've just ate what's in there." Raph inquired as he began chopping the potatoes into little cubes.

"That is the herbs Don uses for medicine. He has to keep them close. There are a lot of different things you could use to cure a lot of different illnesses." 

Raphael nodded as the three of them sat in a comfortable silence, only broken by Mikey's snores. Donnie moved and set things up and cooked things quickly. Leo was always glancing at the sweet rolls just to make sure they were fine and Raph watched him, smirking every now and then when he was caught. 

The food was done quickly and Don decided he should go get Mikey out of bed. He went and gently shook him as Leo set the table for four, "Hey...Mikey..."

Mikey whined and flinched, "No! Don't hit me please!" 

Don sighed and gently wrapped his arms around him in a protective hug. Mikey shook a little before realizing where he was. He looked up at Donnie, "Don?"

"It's time to eat. Didn't you say you were hungry?" Mikey blinked and nodded as he let himself be helped up and into the front room. Raphael smiled at him, obviously happy he was in better condition, despite the slight limp.

They all sat down and ate in silence, except this time it was just a little uncomfortable. Mikey picked at his food, shocked they actually got him what he wanted. Don noticed.

"Didn't you want meat and potatoes?"

Mikey jumped a little before blushing and nodded, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I...I don't know."

Don smiled and patted his arm, "You're okay. Eating will help you feel better too. That and we got a surprise for you. You gotta finish your plate though." Don didn't know how it worked, but Mikey's eyes brightened at the mention of a surprise. He began to eat with more vigor. Even Raphael had to applaud Don's expertise with the younger.

Mikey ended up being the first done, "Uh..." He was so timid that Donnie had to smile at him. Don got up and grabbed the basket before placing two of the thick sweet rolls on his plate. Mikey gasped and grinned, "I haven't had these in years!" 

None of the other turtles could contain their smiles as Mikey happily began to tear into the sweet soft pastries. Don gave Raphael his two before taking his own and glaring at Leo. Leo should've expected as much to be denied his desert until Don felt it the right time to give it to him. Leo pouted at him, making Don melt. He knew he gave in too easily, but he handed it over anyway.

They ate happily and finished their food off. Once they were done, Leo stood and glanced at Don, "Ready?" 

Donnie shook his head, "What about them?"

Leo realized that did pose a small problem before smiling, "They can watch!"

Don sighed, "How the hell are we gonna get Mikey out there?"

"Wait, wait, wait. What are you two talking about?" Raphael inquired as Mikey watched, too afraid to question them.

"Well after dinner is when we usually spar and--" He caught himself before he finished. Don was glad he did, he would've given himself away.

Mikey gasped, "You know ninjutsu!? That means you two came back with exceptional kills!" 

Don was shocked to hear Mikey say that, "You know of our customs?" 

Mikey nodded quickly, "Yes! I used to live here!" Mikey's eyes were bright and made Don's heart melt, "Can we please please please watch you two spar?" The enthusiasm and sudden change from fear to excited had Donnie reeling. He loved it of course, but damn, could he get one emotion at a time, please?

Leo nodded and moved to the backroom to open yet another well concealed door, pulling out a long staff and a pair of katanas, "Of course. You're gonna have to be careful though, we're going through the woods to where we usually spar."

Mikey didn't care. He loved ninjutsu and he's always wanted to learn. This opportunity was just want he wanted, "Can I learn?" The looks had him doubting what he said. He went to apologize, but was cut off.

"Sorry. It's tradition, you know?" Mikey looked crestfallen. Don wanted to kick Leo, but he understood. 

Raphael sighed, "So does that mean I can't learn either?"

Leo shook his head, "You can learn, you just have to pass the Trek first." Mikey brightened a little again, glad he still had a chance.

Don got up before he could see Mikey's inner light dim yet again, "C'mon. Let's get you a crutch or something." Mikey couldn't believe it. He was going to see two turtles battle it out. Ninjas.


	8. Chapter 8

"But those blades look dangerous."

Mikey nodded, bouncing from his spot on a cushion off to the side of the clearing. It was a big clearing of nearly 100 feet across in all directions. Don and Leo stood in the middle with their weapons positioned in their defensive stance. Mikey felt excitement rush through his veins. Raphael, seeing his excitement couldn't stop it from getting in his own body. 

"Well of course! They're real. This is sparring. You're supposed to be serious with it. I'm sure they won't hurt each other on purpose and if they do, it's just a learning experience for the injured and a success for the attacker."

Raphael tilted his head, but he couldn't deny the logic in Mikey's reasoning. There as complete silence as both of the ninjas sized each other up, neither flinching.

Leo had to admit, his student had made exceptional strides in keeping his mind focused on his form and how well he showed patience. Leo had always told him 'let the enemy come to you.' Leo was getting anxious and that was rare for him. He smirked at his lover. Don didn't react, but he was sure he was cursing him in his mind for the action.

Leo stepped forward once, the tension in both Mikey and Raph rising even more. Don didn't flinch, keeping his stance set in stone as he watched Leo start to close the distance. One slow step after the other. Soon Leo wasn't but five feet away from him before Donnie attacked. 

He sprang out with his bo, barely missing Leo as he leaned out of the way towards Don's left. Donnie brought his bo around in a sweeping motion trying to catch Leo, but Leo back flipped away to be out of the wooden weapon's range.

They stood in yet another stare down, both panting from the adrenaline rushing through their veins. Mikey and Raph sat wide eyed, shocked at the sudden actions. They leaned forward on their knees, well Raph did, trying hard to get closer. They wanted to see every single flinch. They were so enthralled.

Leo brought up one katana, swinging it around before striking up an attack pose. Don knew that he could be in trouble if he didn't move fast enough for Leo's attacks. He set his bo spinning in his hands as he began to slowly back away, his knees bent to absorb any blows.

Leo began to rain down on the wooden weapon with fast strikes, making Donnie grit his teeth. He could tell Leo was just trying to show off instead of letting this be more of a learning experience. Don smirked as he quickly swept his bo under Leo's attacks and swept Leo off his feet.

Leo, quickly realizing he's been had, flipped out of the swipe as quickly as he could. He stood up and smiled at Donnie, "That was great."

Don nodded and spun his bo again before putting it in his belt on his shell and bowing to Leo. Leo smiled and bowed in return as he placed his katana back in it's sheath. Mikey began to clap vigorously from his spot before all eyes landed on him. He slowly stopped clapping before glancing down at his knees, his cheeks turning pink.

Don laughed and bowed to him, catching Mikey by surprise, "Glad to have entertained you." Leo grinned and bowed as well before walking over to help him up. Mikey smiled brightly, making Raphael and Donnie exceptionally happy that he was finally creeping out of his shell. They just hoped he stayed out.

They trekked home with Mikey recounting the last sparring round to them even though they saw it with him. Donnie and Raph listened, glad to entertain him since he was feeling exceptionally better. Mikey sighed heavily.

"Oh, my goodness I can't wait to go on the Trek!" Mikey had been gently placed back in his spot on the big warm bed. He immediately and happily wrapped himself up in the blanket.

Don smiled at him on the bed before going to boil a pot of water for their baths, "Well you need to get better first."

"I know, I know, but I am gonna bring back a deer so huge that the Leader is gonna have to teach me ninjutsu!" Mikey's enthusiasm leaked into Raphael.

"We! We will bring back deer so big that the Leader is gonna have to teach us ninjutsu."

Leo sat down on the chair near Mikey and rose his eyebrows at Raphael, "You want to learn too?" Leo tried not to lead too much on.

"Yeah, I mean, why not?" Raph shrugged as he unrolled one of the travelling beds and began to settle in for the night.

Leo nodded, "Well, I was just a little surprised, I guess. I didn't know you were interested."

"Mikey here told me when we were in that slave place. He spoke of Atlantica and some of your customs to me. Or the custom he remembers anyway. I liked the idea of ninjutsu and I told him I wanted to come here one day. I just didn't know I was going to be sorta forced to come here."

Leo sighed and nodded before realizing Raphael was laying down, "Uh, you might want to get up. You can't sleep on that just yet."

Raph grumbled and sat up, still not out of the travelling bed just yet,"Why the hell not?"

"Well, Donnie is sort of a neat freak. He'll want you to bathe before laying down. I'm sure he's about to come in here with a pot of hot water in 3...2...1..." 

Donnie came through the room with his arms holding out a pot of steaming water. He walked over to the bathroom area and poured it in the huge wooden tub before going right back to the front room. Raphael blinked at how right Leo was before glancing at the knowing smirk and blue eyes. Raphael had to admit, this turtle was extremely attractive. He could understand why the doctor tried to snatch him up as soon as possible.

Realizing what he just thought, he jerked his gaze away from him, biting his lip a little trying to keep his thoughts in check. He had mated with Mikey. He couldn't have traitorous thoughts such as that. He knew most turtles weren't monogamous, but still, he felt as if he was breaking a super sacred rule.

"Uh, Mister Raphael. I hope you do plan on getting up out of that travelling bed. I will drag you to the wooden tub and scrub you down if I have to. I already have to do Mikey." Don's head poked in from the front room, catching Raphael off guard. The hazel eyes held a glare that a mother would use to gently push her kids back in line. Raphael couldn't help but chuckle at the comparison.

Raph smirked and got up, "Fine, I'm up, I'm up." Leo stood and went towards the door where he put his and Don's weapons and pulled out a towel and a bar of soap and gave them to Raphael.

"There's another barrel of water in there if the water is too hot for you." Raphael nodded and headed toward the door where Don put the water. He looked at the huge tub filled about 1/3 of the way full with steaming water. He hadn't had a bath in a while and he couldn't imagine how horrible he had started to smell. He spent the last month or so with smelly slaves. He got used to it.

He suddenly wanted to swan dive into the warm and welcoming water, but he refrained, moving over to the other barrel to fill a pot next to it with the cool water and add it to the steaming tub. Once he was happy with the temperature, he slid into the tub, sighing happily.

Leo came in and leaned against the door, smiling at him, "Feeling better already?"

"Shell yeah. You have no idea how long I've been away from water. It just ain't natural for a turtle!" Raphael grumped before he began to later soap into the towel he had gotten and began to scrub himself clean of the dirt he'd acquired. Soon the water was so murky and dirty he couldn't see his fingers just under the surface. 

Leo noticed and sighed before going around to the side and lifted up a small metal disk that led the water from the tub to a pipe that led outside the house. Raphael was shocked at the water suddenly dispersing and turned to see Leo holding up the little stopper.

"Some cool thing Donnie came up to easily empty the tub. I love it. I'll get you some more water." Leo turned to fill the pot with cool water again before replacing the stopper and adding the water. The cool water sent a small shock through his being, but he was mostly okay. Donnie returned with another pot of warm water and began to pour it in with the cool water.

"Jeez, you two keep doing this and I'm gonna become spoiled. Ya gonna scrub my shell too?" He had directed the joking question at Donnie, but he shook his head, making Raph pout playfully.

"I won't, but Leo will." Donnie left, knowing the little statement and the meaning behind it didn't get past his lover. He tossed Leo a smirk out of the line of sight of Raphael. Leo sighed before reaching for the bar of soap and motioning for Raph to stand.

Raphael, shocked they were serious about scrubbing his shell stood and turned with his shell towards Leo. As soon as he felt his fingers on his shell, he wanted to churr. His shell had always been a sensitive spot for him and tingles resonated through his being right now as Leo scrubbed his shell free of dirt.

"Well, what are you gonna do all day tomorrow?" Leo figured it'd be best to try and converse with him to try and avoid the awkwardness. 

Raphael cleared his quickly closing throat before responding, "Well, uh, I have no idea. I wanted to stay with Mikey, but I'm sure he needs his rest. I was thinking of following you or Don around, but I don't want to get in the way."

Leo shook his head, "You wouldn't want to come with me. I have a lot of boring shit to do. Don would love to have an extra pair of hands, though." Leo worked towards the bottom of Raph's shell, making Raph bite his lip hard. The gently fingers and soft lather of bubbles on his shell, made him want to churr out so loud. He managed to keep it tucked away in his chest.

After Leo was done, scrubbing, Raphael let himself breathe a sigh of relief. That is until he felt a wet towel start to wipe off his shell, he groaned inwardly and prayed for it to be over soon. He was sure his bulge would be easily seen if he was teased like this anymore. He just prayed Donnie didn't reappear any time soon.

Once Leo was done with that, he left without looking back, "I gotta talk to Don real quick." Raph nodded and quickly sat to try and calm his nerves and his member.

Leo came into the front room after passing a snoozing Mikey and glared at Don. Don shot him a sheepish grin, "What's the matter, honey?"

Leo folded his arms, "That was entirely too 'helpful' and you know it. Why?"

"Well, they don't know who you are and they seemed like a good pair of terrapins. I'd prefer them over that stupid Warrior Leader. Besides, don't you think they're hot?" Leo felt his cheeks start to heat up, but he fought it down as he moved closer to the whispering doctor.

"Look," He whispered back, "I understand, I do, but I want to work on getting their trust before you start trying to seducing them." He glared at Don who pouted. His hazel eyes went soft, making Leo's heart melt. Leo managed to keep his angry look, making Don sigh.

"I'm sorry. We'll wait. I promise. Jeez. Just figured...I don't know...kill two birds with one stone." Leo blinked as he was confused as what the second task was. His look made Don sigh, "You know, the whole not trusting us thing? Mikey's still quite broken. We're fixing him, but we have a little ways to go. Raphael is broken as well, but I'm sure he's gonna be harder to fix."

Leo was about to respond with Raphael came in, "Uh, I need a dry towel...and I let out the rest of the other water if you want me to refill it with hot water." 

Raphael couldn't bring himself to meet Leo's eyes so he focused on Don's hazel ones, knowing they could make him feel at ease, despite just meeting him earlier that day.

Donnie shook his head as Leo walked past him to grab the towel for him, "It's fine. I got it. Could you wake up Mikey for me? I gotta give him his bath." Raph nodded and turned to grab the towel and dry himself off before gently shaking Mikey.

Mikey whined, but he didn't flinch too much this time, knowing now he wasn't in too much trouble, "Wha?" 

"C'mon, Mikey you gotta take a bath. Believe me, you're gonna love it. It's so hot and relaxing." Raph smiled as he watched the younger slowly stir. The sound of warm, inviting water had him groaning at the feeling.

"God, I hope so. I'm so sore." Mikey whined a little as he sat up.

Donnie came through with a pot of hot water before adding some cool water and making sure it wasn't too much to bear. Once it was done, he grabbed the chair to drag in there, "Alright, Mikey, your turn."

Mikey blinked at Raph who smiled, "He'll scrub your shell for you. I need sleep. I'm exhausted." He gently pressed his lips to Mikey's forehead before laying down on his travelling bed. Mikey got up and limped his way towards the bathroom door just as Donnie came out. Don gave a small yelp and put himself under Mikey's arm to take his wait off of his leg.

"Jeez, you could wait for me! You shouldn't put too much weight on your leg yet!" Mikey couldn't help but smile at the sound of distress in Don's voice. It told him that he was worried about him. It had been a long time since he felt someone actually worried about him. He had Raphael, but Donnie was a stranger and he just couldn't help the light that began to shine in his heart. He began to believe that there were nice strangers out there again.

Donnie eased him into the wooden tub, smiling at the gratified sigh that came from the youngster, "Oh my goodness! Raph was right!" They heard and deep chuckle roll to them from the bedroom before Don tossed him a towel and the bar of soap.

"C'mon. I know you're still sleepy so we need to get you clean as soon as possible." Mikey nodded began to lather the soap and clean himself. Once he was finished with all he could reach, Donnie took the bar of soap,"Lean forward. I gotta get your shell."

Mikey chirped a little as he felt nimble but strong fingers began to play across the grooves in his shell. He didn't hold back the small churr as he felt his shell being scrubbed. Donnie couldn't contain the smile.

"Glad you're feeling better at least." Mikey tried to hold down the following churrs as he blushed furiously. He sat like that and breathed quietly as Donnie scrubbed the rest of his shell. Once he was done and began to rinse, Mikey felt a lot better.

Mikey was shocked to see the water disappearing around him. Don smiled as he looked back at him, "I'm releasing the water so you can have some clean rinsing water."

Mikey blinked and twisted to see the pipe before nodding and turning forward again. He was doused in cold water, making him yelp and burst out laughing. His laughter made Donnie grin and pour a little more over him. Once that was done, Donnie pulled him out of the tube and towards the bedroom. He noticed Leo had lit some candles and laid on his travelling bed, waiting for them to finish in the bathroom.

"Dude that was awesome!" Mikey crawled into the bed completely wet, but he didn't care. Don smirked and crawled into the other side, carefully not to be too far away from Mikey should he need him in the middle of the night.

"Night." The small saying went around the room, except for Raph who was already snoring, before the candle was blown out and everyone settled in. Shocking to even Leo that all this happened in one day. The one day to change his life forever.


	9. Chapter 9

When Michelangelo woke up, he seemed to be the only one up. He stared into the dark, trying to figure out where he was. Whenever he woke up on his own, he had to work hard to remember where he was. It didn't take long for him to realize he wasn't in an abusive home anymore. The only ache he felt came from his leg and the back of his throat from him trying not to start bawling. He took a deep breath and sat up slowly, making sure not to wake Donnie. He didn't want to worry the nice doctor too much more than what he was already doing.

Mikey kicked his legs out of the bed and stood, quite surprised and happy that the pain had dulled down to almost a throb. He had the doctor's medicine to thank for that. He confidently walked out of the front door and around the cabin towards where the outhouse looking building was. He wasn't used to such privileges so he just kept going through to the brush and relieved himself by some bushes.

He made his way back inside the house and started to look around for something to wear  on his lower half. Not finding his old slave garb, he settled on putting on one of what he assumed was Donatello's lower clothes. He was shocked at how it almost slipped of his waist. The doctor was quite thin despite his muscular build and it made Mikey feel sad for himself. He tied a knot on the side to make sure they stayed up before limping his way over to Leo. He crouched by the bed only to notice the terrapin was already gone.

Blinking, he stood silently and left. He wanted to explore his old home and hopefully find someone he used to know. He wandered as the day grew brighter and brighter. Soon he ran into Leo. Mikey beamed at him, ignoring the look of worry on his face.

"My leg feels so much better! And this place looks so different! I really missed Atlantica."

Leo let a small smile appear before he looked back towards the direction of his cabin, "Uh, Don--"

"He doesn't know I'm gone yet. I wanna get some breakfast food to surprise him and Raphie with." Leo wanted to ask about the little nickname, but he decided not to pry. He thought it was adorable anyway.

"Well, here's some money," Leo dropped a pouch full of golden coins in his hands, "Go get some eggs, bacon and milk."

Seeing the confusion on Michelangelo's face, Leo turned and pointed to the various buildings, "This section is the farming part of the village. Down there is the butcher, right on the corner. Right there is the cattle farmer and there is the home of the farmer with the chickens. Try to be home soon. I don't want Don to tear his shell off worrying about you." Leo smiled and turned to walk away.

Mikey watched after him, shocked and happy  at the same time. He had only been here for half a day and someone was already trusting him on his own. He was determined not to mess it up. He decided to go to the chicken farmer first to work his way back."

He walked in the small place and almost back pedaled at the smell. Who could've thought that chickens reeked in such a way? He didn't have time to answer his own question as the farmer came out of the back. 

The tall and slender farmer grinned at him, "Hello! Can I help you with something?"

Mikey nodded, "Uh, I need a dozen eggs. How much is it?"

"You're Leo's new addition right?" Mikey nodded, "Well it's of no cost! The Leader is my brother after all!"

Michelangelo froze, "Leader? Leo?" The farmer had turned to start packing up the eggs in a basket, but he nodded.

"Yup. You didn't know? He lives in the Leader's cabin. Closest to the Elder's road." Mikey had forgotten about that. He realized the chicken farmer was right. He faintly wondered why Leo didn't tell them. He decided it must've been for a good reason. He was just too nice to try and manipulate them and being Leader was a wonderful position. If Mikey was Leader, he'd want everyone to know. Maybe he was just trying to stay humble.

Mikey hummed to himself before he noticed the chicken farmer holding out the basket of eggs. He smiled at him brightly, "Thank you!" He turned and left, quickly picking up the bacon and milk, paying for both of them and heading back home. When he walked in, he could see Don and Leo in a stand off as they stood in the front room.

At the sight of Mikey, Don sighed and rushed over to grab the jug of milk and basket of food from him quickly, "Jesus, Leo. He's not supposed to be up!"

"He's fine. He said his leg was feeling better. If it wasn't I know he wouldn't go to worry you more by going out."

Mikey felt as if he had began the argument between the two. He lowered his head, "I was the one who went out. Leo was already out and he gave me the money for the food for breakfast. It's my way of thanking you. Well, if you let me cook anyway." 

Don wrapped his arms around the younger, catching him by surprise. He thought he'd be punished for going against Don's will. The lump in his throat began to form again as Donnie spoke.

"No, you're fine. I'm sorry. I tend to worry and try to control everything when someone around me is hurt. It's not your fault. I'll cook breakfast and you go lay down."

Mikey whined, letting his childish side show a little more, "But I wanna cook! I haven't cooked in forever and I love it."

Don raised his hands in a small surrendering manner before going over to rinse out the pans, "Fine. Sorry, you can cook."

Mikey he was being mean until he smiled back at him. It was a soft and teasing smile. Something an older sibling would use when good heartedly teasing a younger sibling. Mikey grinned at him and started to move around the kitchen, quickly setting about getting breakfast ready. A few times he let his eyes drift to Leo. He could sense the trait of responsibility and leadership in him. Mikey had felt it before, but it stood out even more now.

Leo sat in the chair at the table, deep in thought as he stared at the table. He was trying to think about how to get some warriors together to go back to Terrata to see if they could stay around and look for more escaped slaves. If they are the survivors of Terrata then there's a possibility of more coming back to charred remains of a sub village. He saw the devastation on Raphael's face. He didn't want anyone else to have that type of pain.

The turtle in question stumbled grumbling in the front room. He sunk into a chair, still rubbing his eyes, "So..." He yawned and let his hands fall in his lap, "What's my job for today?"

Leo and Don was lost, "Job?"

"Yeah. Don't I have something I'm supposed to do?" Leo smirked, the sleep obviously making the bigger terrapin forget about what he told him last night.

"Well, you can either follow Don around the village and help him out, or you can stay here and watch Mikey for him."

Michelangelo suddenly wanted to ask what he was going to do as the Leader around the village, but he realized he was trying to keep that from them. Again, he wondered why, but he wasn't about to mess up whatever Leo had planned. He just flipped the bacon in the skillet. 

Raphael looked at Mikey, "What're you doing up?"

Mikey beamed at him, "My leg is feeling better! I decided to make breakfast to thank Donnie and Leo for their hospitality." Raphael nodded and groaned as he pitched forward right into Leo's line of sight. Leo jerked out of his thoughtful trance and glanced at Raph.

"Still tired?" Raphael nodded, making Leo chuckle.

"We did go to bed quite late last night. I think we should keep the baths in the morning." Leo tossed a glance at Don who shrugged and handed Mikey the eggs.

"Hey, is it so bad to want to feel clean and nice?"

Raph chuckled and sat back up, "No, it's fine. I'll live." 

Just as he was about to ask what they were eating, Mikey squeaked happily, "Food's done!" He began to fill bowls with eggs and bacon and cups with milk before sitting in his seat. Once everyone began to eat, he couldn't help but beam at the satisfied looks on their faces.

"Alright. I can't stay mad at that smile and this cooking for long. Well done, Mikey." Donnie praised the younger, making Michelangelo squirm in his seat with giddyness. Someone was actually praising him! He could hardly stand the excitement.

After Don and Leo finished their food, they got up and got read to leave, telling the two of different places they could find them if they ever needed them. Don was more hesitant to leave the two alone, but Leo basically dragged him out.

"You only have two other turtles to check on. You'll be back soon. Calm down." Leo reprimanded him as they walked out of the cabin.

"I know! But I can't help but worry. They're broken and I wanna fix them."

Leo patted Don's shell before gently kissing him, "Sometimes turtles gotta fix themselves. They're fine."

They left, leaving Mikey and Raphael alone. This is their first time alone since the first time they met each other. Mikey bounced around, even more comfortable now that he was alone with Raphael. He grinned and ranted about being the happiest he's been in a long time. Raph just sat and listened to him for a while with a smile on his face.

"Dude...can we finish what we did when we were locked in that little room?" Mikey's excited voice made Raph choke a little, shocked he even remembered it. 

Raphael looked at him, "You wanna do it still? I thought you'd not wanna go back down that road so soon." Mikey caught him off guard by flopping in his lap and wrapping his arms around his shoulders and nuzzling his neck.

"If it's you, then I'd be cool with it. I know you wouldn't hurt me." Mikey beamed up at him, his bright blue eyes breaking down barriers Raphael had put up for even him. Raph took a deep breath before picking him up and carrying him to the travelling bed he had slept on the night before. He didn't want to disrespect their cabin by having sex with Mikey on the bed.

Raphael took a deep breath and leaned down to kiss him, "Let me know if it hurts, okay? I don't wanna put your leg in anymore strain." Mikey nodded and laid back, letting Raphael press his lips all down his body. Mikey began to squirm with Raph's fingers brushed across his side. Raph looked up curiously.

"Sorry. Tickles."

Raphael smirked and continued to pull off the lower cloth he borrowed, "You're lucky. I would've totally started tickling you just to see what you'd do." Mikey whimpered until he felt Raph's mouth gently press against the slit that hid his member. Mikey gasped and bit his lip as he watched Raphael start to seduce his member out of hiding.

Raphael let his tongue move around the slit before dipping inside to flick against the tip. The breathy gasp and the sweet and salty taste made Raph churr. Raphael continued to lick until he felt  Mikey harden and began to poke out of his shell. Raph began to gently suck on the tip, causing Mikey to start panting as he continued to grow into Raphael's mouth. Soon Raphael covered his whole member and began to bob his head up and down. 

Mikey's breathing began to get erratic and soon he couldn't control himself. He was just so close to cumming when Raphael stopped. Mikey whined, but gasped as soon as he felt Raphael start to lick at his tail. Involuntarily, he moved it and Raphael began to gently probe his anus with his tongue. He began to gently stretch him with his tongue, going at gently as he could. Soon he felt Mikey was ready enough for his finger. He gently pressed his finger to his anus and pushed in, causing Mikey to began panting again. He curled his finger up, making Mikey arch his back and gasp. 

He knew immediately he hit a tender spot and memorized where it was as he moved his finger around to try and work him open just a little more. He pulled out his fingers before adding a little more spit and using two fingers this time.

"Raph..." Mikey breathed out to him. Raphael looked up seeing small traces of pain registering on his face.

"Sorry, it'll stop hurting soon." Raphael continued to push inside, but slower this time. He moved his fingers around and scissored them gently, making sure that his lover would be ready. He kept stretching until Mikey seemed okay. 

He sat up and let himself drop down as he leaned forward and over the younger. He spit into his hand and rubbed it over his erection before pressing forward. The tip pushed in and Mikey stared to pant. As the warm ring of flesh encircled him, Raphael began to pant, his eyes staying on those bright blue orbs. They were the only things keeping him sane since they came here. He lost his home and everything he knew. Mikey was all he had now and he was determined to keep him.

Mikey grit his teeth as the sting mixed with pleasure in his lower tummy. He managed to keep his leg off to the side and out of harms way as Raphael sunk deeper all the way up to the hilt. Raphael sat there, letting Mikey adjust to having him inside him.

"Y-you alright?" Raphael panted softly from over his head. Mikey nodded and wrapped his arms around him, trying to pull him closer.

"M-move please?" Raphael nodded and began to slowly pull out, causing a small sting to resonate through his stomach. Then he pressed forward, hitting that sweet button in his body. Mikey arched his back and groaned, "Uh, faster!" Raphael listened to him, going faster and harder. He listened to all his requests and did them, for him. Soon, Mikey was a panting, writhing mess of jelly muscles. The small moans and sounds he was making had Raphael moaning. 

Just the fact he was making his younger lover open up and coo to him had him on the verge of cumming. Once Mikey did, clenching around him, he let go inside him. After he came he slipped out of him and moved to boil a pot of water.

"Where're you going?!" Mikey whined to him, his voice obviously sleep and grumpy. He wanted to cuddle. The idea made Raphael chuckle. 

"You need a bath, Mr. Turtle." Mikey whimpered and wiggled a little before realizing Raph was right. He was covered and filled with seed. He just laid back and stared at the ceiling, waiting for Raph.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He hadn't meant to walk in on them mating. He knew they were mated. He wasn't stupid, but he wasn't exactly expecting that. Donnie had rushed through his check ups on his other patients to get back home to Mikey only to walk in on them mating. He wasn't noticed, thank goodness, but he rushed right back out to give them the privacy they so deserved.

This, he realized, was gonna make it harder. These were the two he really wanted on Leo's side, but they were mated to each other. He wondered if he could convince them. Well, he was certainly going to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Libbyluvs~ you got your wish~ ;)


	10. Chapter 10

Donnie came back a little while later with his arms full with a basket of new herbs and spices and a basket with deer meat, corn and peas for their dinner that night. He decided he wanted to try and bond a little with Mikey by getting him to help him cook. He had said he loved it. He was going to get Leo to get Raph out of the cabin and entertain him in some way. He wanted to try and crack through to Mikey. He was sure he was still just a little wary of the doctor, so he wanted to try and bring home his trust tonight.

Don put the basket of herbs and spices on the table before putting the food itself into the tub he used to wash the dishes. It was empty now and served as a safe clean place away from the rest of the kitchen to avoid getting anyone sick.

"Mikey!?" He hoped he hadn't interrupted anything again.

The youngster came bounding out of the backroom with a bright smile, "Hi, Donnie!"

Donatello smiled back at the enthusiastic little turtle, "Hiya, Mikey. Wanna help me cook tonight?"

Michelangelo nodded quickly and moved over to the basket in the sink, "What do you guys do with the baskets you get with the food and stuff? They just seem to disappear."

Don started to set about gathering cooking supplies of knives and pots and things, "Well most of the time we return them to the person who gave them to us, but other times we would buy them to try and do things for ourselves. Such if we want to go out on a picnic or if we are doing some kind of training trek and we need something to carry our food, we'd use them."

Michelangelo nodded. He was just about to ask about Leonardo when he walked through the door, a small scowl on his face. Mikey grinned at him, "Hi Leo!"

Leonardo stopped dead in his tracks at the bright and bubbly voice before smiling back at the younger, "Hey, Mikey. How're you feeling?"

Mikey's tail wiggled in excitement. He had been quite happy since he and Raphael mated and he was finally noticed by the Leader. He wanted to feel close to Leo. He knew he held a position of power, but that wasn't why. He just felt the Leader was just entertaining him for the sake of the doctor, who he was sure would go crazy over him if something happened to him.

"I'm great! How was your day?" Mikey had moved to the table and sat down across from him, his bright blue eyes studying darker blue ones. Don smiled from where he was in the pantry. He was hanging up his medicinal herbs and picking leaves off of the seasoning herbs.

"Well, sadly, it was quite tiring. I have a lot to do here in this village, Mikey. I think a nice long vacation is in order." Mikey nodded. He couldn't understand being drawn to the Leader. He had mated with Raph. He did, but he couldn't stop the slightly sudden thoughts of wanting to be the same way with Leo. 

Those intense eyes and those arms. They seemed to provide protection. Raphael's provided strength. Don's provided health. He needed each of them for something. He wondered how he could become so suddenly dependent on two new turtles in such a short amount of time.

Raphael suddenly came out of the backroom, interrupting Mikey's response, "Oh, so you gonna call Mikey, but not me, huh?" Raphael asked jokingly.

Don flashed him a smile, "Well he's the one who took an arrow to the leg. You're the escape leader. I'm sure I don't have to worry about you."

Raphael grinned and sat down next to Mikey, glancing towards the open pantry door as he responded, "Alright, you are right." He glanced at Mikey, who was staring at Leo. Leo had began to sink back into his thoughtful trance like state again. Raphael felt a small twinge of jealousy, but he pushed it off, thinking he was just being over dramatic.

Donnie came back out with the new herbs. He put them on a cloth on the table before handing the basket of vegetables to Mikey, "Here. You shell the peas and cut the corn off of the cobs and I'll work on the meat."

Mikey blinked as he was given a knife for the corner and basket to put the pea hulls in, "Uh...what are you gonna do to the meat?"

Don sat down beside Raph and began to slice up the herb leaves, "Well I'm going to marinate it--"

"What's marinate?" Mikey's eyes drifted between Don and Leo. He wanted Leo's attention, but he was trying to listen to the doctor as well.

The question came as a shock to Don. Mikey rarely asked questions that didn't pertain to his safety. Don smiled, "Well it's when you let the meat soak in spices and herbs to gather the flavors of those spices and herbs. It makes the meat taste awesome."

Mikey nodded, "What will Leo be doing?" The mention of his name made Leo jerk up, glancing at all the eyes suddenly on him. 

"I did what now?" He leaned forward, clearly lost in the conversation. 

Don chuckled, "Uh, he and Raphael can go to lumberjack's cabin, before he closes up, and get some more wood. It's supposed to get nippy tonight and we need the oven to keep the whole cabin warm."

Leo caught the cue and nodded before standing and smiling at Raphael, "C'mon. It's easier to just do what he asks and not argue." The tease earned a glare from hazel eyes and a chuckle from the youngest terrapin.

Raphael grumbled, still quite wary of leaving Mikey, but the youngster still seemed happy and enthusiastic. He decided it best to give him a little space.

Leo and Raphael left quickly, leaving Mikey alone with Donatello. The younger eyed the bent head and concentrated look. He let his eyes trace over the features of his soft face. The heart melting brown eyes to his full lips, set in a determined line at the moment. The curve of his jaw that led own a long neck. His neck spread to a quite muscular chest and out to lean, but muscular arms.

"Mikey?"

The turtle in question jerked his gaze back up to questioning hazel eyes. Donnie let his confusion show a little, before turning back to the task at hand, "You seem to be getting better on that leg of yours. The way you came running in here earlier."

Michelangelo grinned, "Yes. It feels great. I don't know what you did, but that worked perfectly. I was actually pretty siked to see you. I've been meaning to ask you a few questions. That is if you want to anyway?"

The slight chance of Mikey crawling back into his shell had Don on the edge. He didn't want the younger to start leaving him and Leo so soon after getting him to open up. It had been hard enough as it was to just get him to laugh.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well this morning when I went to the chicken farmer, he said that the Leader was his brother." Don kept a straight face as he moved over to the meat, slicing and gently packing it with herbs. Mikey had to give him credit, he knew how to hide his emotions well, "And he said that Leo was the Leader."

Don set aside four pieces of meat packed with herbs and spices before turning back to Mikey. His face showed seriousness that always made Mikey feel uneasy. But Mikey was confident right now. He continued with his gentle probing.

"Is this true? If so, why didn't you tell me? Tell us?" Mikey didn't want to put Leo out there, but he wanted answers. He knew Donnie had to know, them being mated and all.

Don took a deep breath before reaching for the corn and started to cut the corn off of the cob into a pot. Mikey had been busy shelling the peas, "Well, it is true. He is indeed the Leader, or at least considered so until he chooses three life partners. We didn't tell you because we didn't think it would be a big deal."

Mikey had always been the type of intuitive turtle who knew when someone was hiding something, "Why else didn't you tell us?" Mikey watched as Don tried to avoid his eyes.

"Well, honestly?" Mikey nodded, "I was hoping that you two would be great candidates for his other two life partners. We weren't going to say anything until we decided whether or not to ask you two. I'm so sorry." Don's voice broke a little, making Mikey whimper.

"Please don't apologize. I was just curious." 

Donnie shook his head, "We were keeping a secret and it wasn't right of us."

"But I won't tell Raph. You had great intentions. I know how important it is for a Leader to have trusted life partners and to keep his status a secret until you were sure we could be trusted is actually a great strategy. But I must ask, since he's the Leader, couldn't he teach me ninjutsu?"

There it was. That adorable childish wonder that made Donnie fall in love with the youngster as soon as he got him out of his shell. Donnie knew he held some kind of light inside him from the moment he saw him. He just knew that Mikey had had it beaten down to a little spark. Don planned on fanning it into a full on flame.

"Yes, he can, but it might take me a while to convince him to do so. Just promise me something?" Mikey nodded quickly, his grin getting infectious, "Please consider being his life partner. You don't have to do the whole mating thing, but it's still nice to have someone to trust."

"Well I wouldn't--" Mikey was cut off by the two bigger terrapins entering the room with their arms full of fire wood.

"Hey! Hopefully you two hadn't gotten too bored in our absence." Leo winked at Don, wondering if the other had indeed began his seduction of the younger. 

Don smiled and tossed the last corn cob into the basket to be thrown out, "Well, we had quite an interesting conversation while you two were gone, I'll tell you that much."

Raphael dropped his arm load by the oven, "Oh? About what?"

"Well, Mr. Raphael, that is for us to know and for you to find out." Don smiled and winked at Mikey, setting the younger giggling. Michelangelo knew he was to keep the Leader's status to himself. It's going to be hard since Raphael was someone who he was very close to. But he'd manage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo stepped outside into the chilly air and shivered a little, glancing back at Raph, who tried to steel himself against the sudden icy breeze. 

"Looks like we'll have to get you a fur made. I have one, but I'm not too sure it'll fit you." He smiled at the turtle in question, who just shrugged. He seemed extremely distant tonight and Leo wondered why. He decided to try and get through to him.

Leo stared towards the wood workers area where lumberjacks and carpenters were, "Well how was your day? Had fun with Mikey all day?"

Raph let a small smirk reach his lips before nodding, "He's feeling a lot better. He seems to be getting even more enthusiastic about life here. Understandable since he used to live here. This is his home." 

Leo sensed a small shift in mood of the turtle walking beside him and decided to try and make it better, "So, uh...Terrata...born and raised there?"

Raphael nodded, "Yup. What's on your mind?" 

Leo was beginning to learn that Raphael wasn't the type to beat around the bush, "Well I was thinking of getting a group of warriors up there to camp out just in case anymore survivors try to come back. I figured you'd like to come up there with me. I have the Warrior Leader up there as well, but a little more brawn, as well as a native of Terrata, wouldn't be bad either."

They had reached the lumberjack's place of business, walking in and smiling at the lumberjack, who yawned.

"Dammit, Leo. I was just about to leave. What do you need?" 

Leo chuckled before tossing his head towards the pile of firewood, "I need ten pieces."

The lumberjack nodded and accepted the money, "Need any help?" Not waiting for Leo to answer, Raphael shook his head and grabbed up the wood and headed out of the door, making Leo stand and stare at his shell in shock.

"Hm, doesn't play well with others, it seems." 

Leo sighed as he nodded, "Yeah, well, I'm working to change that. Thanks, Jack." The lumberjack nodded and blew out the candle signalling he was open.

Leo had to jog to catch up with Raphael, only to see the wood scattered on the ground near his feet and him cradling one of his hands, "Shit...got a splinter..."

Leo leaned forward to grab his hand, he studied the green finger closely in the diminishing light, "Aw..."

"Yeah, hurts like a bitch too." Leo smirked as he heard the bigger turtle curse. Leo moved around to put his shell against Raph's plastron, holding his hand at a better angle to work with, "What're you doing?"

"Getting your splinter out. Now hold still." Leo leaned forward, sticking the finger in his mouth with no remorse. Raphael stared in shock at the back of Leo's shell. He fought hard to keep his breathing even as Leo let his tongue feel gently across his finger before using his teeth to bite down on the barely there intruder and pull it out. Leo pulled back and spit out the splinter before gently rubbing his hand. 

"There. Let's get back before Don comes looking for us." Leo bent and grabbed five of the ten pieces and began towards the cabin, leaving Raphael to stare at his own shell in shock this time. Leo smirked to himself, his job done for the night. Raphael quickly grabbed up the wood and jogged to catch up just as the sun set.

He fought hard to contain the blush in his face as they entered the cabin, wondering what the hell was going through his mind for wanting Leo to do it again.


	11. Chapter 11

The night went by just like the one before, but Mikey was a lot more energetic and enthusiastic. Raphael began to wonder how he'd live with the loud and excited turtle. He was sure he'd soon grow tired of the enthusiasm, but he wouldn't want him any other way. Raphael smirked, thinking of Mikey as the annoying little sibling that you love to death, but want to kill sometimes. He just wrapped an arm around him as he sat beside him.

Don and Leo were sparring again, but Leo had been taking more time to show Donnie new moves and techniques. He focused more on Don's form and how well he executed his moves more than anything. He had left all his pride and showing off in the day before's sparring match.

They spent the next hour in the dark, sparring and working through the katas. Mikey held up a lantern faithfully. He wanted to see as much as they needed to. After their hour of sparring was up, they headed back home with the bouncing Mikey on their heels. Mikey had moved up to walk beside Don as Leo dropped back to speak with Raphael.

"So what do you think?"

"About what?" Raphael felt his face heat up again. Just being in close proximity with this turtle had him blushing like a young turtle in love. He didn't even feel this weird when he first met Mikey. What the hell was wrong with him?

"About coming with me to Terrata just in case some more survivors come around? I know as a native you might be able to point out other natives as well and make the job easier. And it might give you a little closure about the whole situation..."

Raphael thought about it. He would travel back with Leo, but what was going to happen? "How long are we staying? And what exactly would I be doing?"

Leo shrugged a little as he continued behind Don and Mikey, "Most of the time, you'd be stuck to me, just helping me out with whatever I need help with, but you'll be in charge of you for most of your free time."

Raphael nodded, preferring to be in charge of himself. He didn't like the idea of being so close to the other turtle for such a long period of time. He wanted to hide these stupid feelings from him and being so close wasn't going to help any. He just prayed he didn't do anything drastic to put himself in trouble with Leo nor Mikey. Soon they reached the cabin. Leo ran out to the Warrior Leader's cabin to let him know of the plan for the next day before coming back.

"Well, no baths tonight, but everyone's getting one in the morning," Don warned the rest of the turtles as he continued to the oven and put in a few more pieces of wood to hold the house over til morning. Everyone else nodded and headed towards their sleeping places for that night. 

By the end of the hour, everyone was sound asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The young warrior terrapin walked through the dark foliage before he came upon what he was looking for. A human. Not just any human, the leader of the Foot tribe, Karai.

"I assume they're leaving to Terrata tomorrow?" The youngster nodded before holding out his hand.

"Leo is taking the Warrior Leader and one of the bigger turtles in the village with him. Which means that two of the village's biggest protection will be gone. I'll be in Terrata with the group of warriors looking out for survivors of the attack on Terrata. It'll take some hours to get from Atlantica to Terrata, so you should be safe to launch an attack and be out by the time we're warned."

Karai nodded and put a sizable pouch of golden coins in his hands before turning to report to her tribe. She was going to need them to patrol and be ready to relay the message. The humans had been planning a big attack to try and bring the much bigger tribe and village of Atlantica to it's knees. They needed to strike fear in the hearts of the mutant turtles if they had any chance of taking over that region.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo woke up extremely early the next day to see Mikey up even earlier and cooking up another big breakfast for the other inhabitants of the cabin.

"Aw, Mikey that was nice, but Raphael and I have to go to Terrata this morning. We won't be able to stay around long enough to eat all this food with you and Donnie." 

Mikey shrugged and put a plate down at his place on the table just as Raphael walked in, "Don't care. I want you to at least eat something before you go. I'm gonna feel all bored and lonely and stuff while you two are gone. Hopefully Don will let me follow him around the village."

Leo smirked before he sat down and began to eat. It wasn't long until the extremely sleepy looking doctor came in and began to put on a pot of boiling water. 

"We need to get four more barrels of water. At this rate, we'll be out of double our money for water." Don grumbled. He was exhausted. Mikey saw it and he held out a cup of dark liquid, something he got from the farmer that gave him strawberries to give the other terrapins in the cabin for breakfast.

"What's this?" Don tentatively grabbed the mug, eyeing it's dark contents.

"It's something called coffee. The farmer that gave it to me said it was to help wake you up. You didn't seem too tired yesterday and I got this for Leo, but it seems you really need it."

Don kept eyeing the contents before he took a sip, almost gagging at the taste, "Uh...Mikey?"

"Wait! Wait! He told me sugar is supposed to make it taste better. And milk if you really want it." Mikey held out a jug of milk and jar of sugar for the doctor in front of him. Don eyed him again before his exhaustion made him throw caution to the wind.

He poured a little of the milk in to the cup, turning it a milky tan color and adding sugar until it was tasty enough to stomach. Don had to admit, the mixture was great and it did a number on him. He was feeling more energetic already. 

Mikey beamed as he put the pot of dark liquid off to the side before turning his attention back to the breakfast at hand.

"So, Leo. You never really told me. What exactly is your job? I know you said peacekeeper, but there has to be even more than that." Raphael inquired from where he sat at the table. Leo had been watching Don slowly become addicted to the new warm drink Mikey served him for breakfast. The sudden question had him jerking his head in Raphael's direction.

"Well, uh, I'm exactly that. I'm a peacekeeper. I go to other tribes and subtribes to keep good relations and I try to keep the peace inside the village as well."

Mikey loudly announced, "Breakfast is ready!" interrupting anymore probing questions from Raphael. Mikey placed four plates covered in eggs, bacon, toast with butter, and strawberries. Leo was slightly astonished at the culinary expertise of the younger.

"Jeez, Don you're gonna be put out of business soon." Don laughed sarcastically before taking a bite of his food, glowering at Leo. Leo smiled and grabbed his hand, offering the most reassuring and sweet smile he could muster.

Don sighed and squeezed his hand, "What are you two going to do in Terrata and how long will you two be gone?" Don didn't mask the worry in his voice. He couldn't bear losing Leo and Raphael, becoming a new addition to the only family he's ever known has already became apart of his heart.

"Well we're just going to look for more survivors. We'll stay all day and we'll be back before sundown. Speaking of, we're all up quite early. I was trying to leave with Raphael before you two got up."

Mikey shrugged, "I wanted to get up early to cook to make sure I got that coffee stuff right." Don was quite happy with the concoction the younger came up with to give him a well needed energy boost.

"I got up because Raphael isn't exactly the quietest waker." Raphael scowled at the gentle teasing before cleaning his plate. He got up and headed outside, ignoring the stares to his shell. 

"Leo, I know you're the Leader. Why didn't you tell me dude?" Don almost spit out his coffee, but decided to swallow and almost choke instead. Leo was halfway through his bite when Mikey spoke up. He set his fork down and sighed.

"Jeez, Mikey. No beating around the bush with you, huh?" Mikey shook his head and leaned forward, a small goofy smile on his face.

"So, still can't teach me ninjutsu, huh?" 

Leo rolled his eyes and glared at him as if he were a father scolding him, "Mikey..."

"I know, all that tradition malarky. Just skip that part!" Mikey was bouncing in his seat. Don couldn't help but smile for a few seconds, glad that he now felt safe enough to be the child he held under lock and key for so long. He was so young and deserved to live out his childhood.

"Mikey..." Leo's voice took on that warning tone. One he had grew accustomed to and knew to be quiet. The tone didn't stop his little insistent whine. Raphael came back in the door, glancing around at everyone, seeing they were chewing and acting as if nothing happened.

"That Warrior Leader guy is out there saying we need to go, Leo." 

Leo sighed heavily and nodded, standing up and leaning over to kiss Don gently on the forehead. For a brief moment, Mikey wished he could get the same small kiss. Thinking of that, Mikey forgot to tell Donnie he didn't mind being one of their life partners. He decided it could wait til Leo and Raphael were gone.

"Alright, bye guys. Don't wait up." Raphael smiled back at Mikey before following Leo out and towards the small group of warriors ready to make the trek to Terrata.

Mikey sat at the table, his head at his plate for the longest, thinking hard on whether or not his feelings were true ones. Turtles have never been monogamous, but in order to have another partner in life, your current partner must believe you have real feelings for the other and not just lust. Mikey couldn't confirm that right now, so he decided to wait for another week or so for such admissions.

"Alright, Mikey. You're going to be my little apprentice today. I am going to check on my remaining patient and then we're free for the rest of the day. We can go to the cold creek and bathe and have fun or we can stay here at the house or we can walk around the village and explore."

Mikey was getting more and more excited with each suggestion, "I wanna do it all!" Don chuckled and got up to put the dirty dishes in the washing bin, pouring cold water and grabbing a bar of soap.

"Well, first, you have to wash dishes. I'll go get the bath water ready." Don walked past him, gently patting his shell. The task made the younger groan as he stared at the dirty dishes. He wanted to whine, but decided to just get it over with. Besides, he'll have a little time to fantasize and think about things. He was safe now, there was a lot of things he could imagine to make things even better.


	12. Chapter 12

Leo pushed up the center pole to hold up his tent for the day. It was going to get cold even in the middle of the day and his winter fur isn't going to do a lot. That and he didn't get Raphael a fur made before they left. He watched as the warriors of his small group began to set up all around the center pole, making a pretty sizable tent for him and Raphael to stay warm in while they waited for any signs of survivors to show up.

After all that was done and Leo had a warm fire pit crackling near the center pole, he sat down on a blanket spread out in front of the fire and hummed.

"I'm still quite tired. I don't think that trek did any better to alleviate my exhaustion. I think I should've gotten some of Don's coffee before we left." Leo rubbed his eyes as he leaned back on his shell and elbows. He stretched out in front of the fire, seemingly losing that air of responsibility that always revolved around him.

Raphael noticed it. He really liked this more calm and down to earth version of the turtle he had come to know. There was barely any flaws shown in his demeanor. Raphael watched as he relaxed by the fire, letting the tension and stress in his face drain away. Raphael knew he had to be more than the peacekeeper with that type of stress just radiating off of him.

They just sat in the tent, warming and waiting for anything. Just on the outside of the remains of Terrata, the Foot tribe moved, watching for any sign of them returning to Atlantica. They were prepared to send their fastest to Atlantica to warn the others and Karai.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mikey stuck close to Don, watching as he mixed together the herbs to make his last little patient better. The young female turtle was whining about drinking the medicine, saying it tasted horrible, even with a little sugar. 

Seeing Don was having trouble, Mikey decided to help out a little, "Hey. It's okay. Just think of it like this. You drink that and get better, you can grow up strong and big! You grow up strong and big and you'll be able to bring down any big animal on the Trek!" 

His smile was infectious. As soon as he started talking and pumping her up, she was giggling and ranting with him. Don watched as the two interacted. He watched as Mikey seemed to get more and more energy from the little one, his want of her to calm down and and drink her medicine working like a charm on her. They had her drinking the mix and out of there in ten minutes.

"Jeez...Mikey that was great. I'm going to have to bring you around for all my young patients."

Mikey grinned at him, "It's just a gift dude."

Don smiled at him, noting the new found confidence and pride that he could sense coming around to be seen. Don stared at him, his bright smile and blue eyes getting to him. Don felt something stir in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't have time to act on it.

A sudden scream from somewhere to their right drew his attention to a cabin. Without thinking, he dropped his bag there in the middle of the dirt road and ran inside to see two humans holding arrows and weapons. One was young and scared. His timidity made him loose an arrow at the sudden intruder coming through the door. Don tried to dodge it, but it went through his bicep, sending a shock of pain through his side. 

He grit his teeth, but he felt he needed to protect the inhabitants of the cabin. He rushed inside, grabbing a broom stick and swung it around as if it were his staff. It wasn't long before the humans were cleared out and Mikey came in after him.

"What the--whoa, your arm!" Mikey yelped, running over to examine the arrow sticking out the front and back of the doctor's arm. He bit his lip, the sounds of chaos going on around the cabin. The other inhabitants tried to crowd around the doctor, but they knew better to give him some air.

Don panted a little, trying to gather the will to break the arrow and pull out the rest. He managed to break it, but he couldn't reach around to pull it out.

"Mikey..." The younger knew what he was going to say before he finished. Shaking his head, Mikey tried to back away.

"I can't! I can just feel your pain and doing that is going to hurt more!" Don glared at him, his hazel eyes taking on a fire Mikey never saw before. Briefly, Mikey thought they were beautiful before he leaned forward to yank the rest of the arrow out of arm. Don let out a strangled cry before he finally headed out of the cabin, trying to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

It was terrifying. The humans were running wild, hurting and killing, but every now and there there would be a turtle who's kicking ass as well. Don saw that they were at quite an equal standing in the fighting area since their more skilled warriors were at Terrata. He was just glad the Warrior Leader left most of them to help fight and protect.

He grabbed one of the youngest warriors and sent him on a shortcut through the woods, "Go to Terrata, get Leader and the Warrior Leader and tell them we are being attacked! Run as fast as you can!" The young warrior nodded and took off through the foliage, unseen by any human lookouts.

Don managed to make their way back to their cabin without being harmed, just glad it wasn't ransacked nor on fire by the time he got there.

"Fucking finally!" He went to the closet that held their living essentials and grabbed his bo staff. He sighed and grabbed a hunting knife to give to Mikey. The younger stared at the kitchen utensil made weapon placed in his hands.

"Protect the cabin. I have to go and help as many as I can while I can. Okay?" 

Michelangelo began to stutter, "I c-can't! I mean, I d-don't--" Don surprised both of them, shutting him up quickly with a kiss. Don grabbed the back of his head, pressing his lips hard to Mikey's. Mikey stared into Don's eyes before Don pulled back.

"Don't you dare die. Raphael would kill me. Just protect the place, kill or injure any human that comes in. I promise I'll be back!" Don ran out of the door before he could get any type of response from the stunned youngster. Mikey stared at the closed cabin door for a while, trying to figure out where the sudden kiss came from.

He actually liked it. He bit his lip as he stared at the knife in his hands. The doctor didn't only want him as a life partner for the Leader, but apart of whatever relationship he had with him as well. He couldn't lie to himself, he had become attracted to Don as well as the Leader. Don was so caring and gentle. If he was even more honest with himself, Don was the main one to really make him feel whole again. He wanted to be close with him and Leo.

But Mikey was also connected to Raphael in one of the most intimate ways. He faintly wondered if Raphael could be apart of the relationship as well. Mikey leaned against the dinner table heavily, talking more to himself than praying.

"Please bring them all back to me safely. I want to see where we can go together. I need each of them. Please." After taking a moment to compose himself, Mikey stood and got ready for any type of intruders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo watched as only a few more small children came with the group of warriors that had been checking the outer perimeter of Terrata's borders.

"So they won't be slaves because they don't have that symbol burned into their shells like ours?" Raphael asked as Leo gently calmed one bawling little girl. Leo nodded and stood up to lead her into his tent, followed by the others. He sat them down around the fire and moved over to the pot of soup one of the warriors cooked earlier. He gave them big bowls of soup and sat down with them, making sure they were fine.

Raphael watched as the air of responsibility came back out of no where. Raphael had to admit, he liked how Leo could calm those around him, make them feel safe and provide that safety. These three children were the only ones to come back. Leo was glad. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he knew that there were children out there who had no where to go.

One of the smallest ones had made his way to Raphael, staring up at him with adorable little green eyes. Raphael couldn't help but smile and pick him up. The energetic little thing wriggled in his hands before curling up to his chest and falling asleep. Raphael watched as the youngster's features relaxed out and he began to suck on his little thumb.

Leo watched him, watching one of the most rare moments. Raphael had let his guard down and let his feelings show in almost the rawest form. Leo knew just from observing him he was the type to hide his feelings. As well as hiding his feelings, he knew he could be extremely passionate and loving. He just needed reason to show it. Leo's attention was jerked to the tent opening as a young warrior burst in.

"Leader, there is an attack going on at Atlantica! The Foot tribe is attacking us currently. Your mate was wounded and we know not of his current condition. It is imperative for you to come back immediately." Leo was up before he even finished his report and began to pack up quickly.

"Children, you are going to stay with this nice warrior and he will take care of you until you all make it to Atlantica. Raphael and I have to leave now."

Raphael gently put the smaller turtle in the arms of the oldest child before helping Leo pack, "Is Mikey okay?" Leo stopped to look to the warrior for answers.

"I honestly don't know. He was fine when I saw him." Raphael took a deep breath before he started to hyperventilate. He was so worried about Mikey that he was shifting back and forth on his feet impatiently outside the tent. He watched as half the warriors there and the Warrior Leader began to pack up to journey back with him and Leo.

The sudden activity in Terrata had the humans around the perimeter warning their runner, who left quickly. He had at least a 30 minute headstart, giving the humans a good leeway to get far enough away to be able to avoid pursuit. Once Leo and Raph got there, they rushed to their cabin to find Mikey leaned over Donnie, trying to bind his arm in some type of medicinal paste and bandages.

Leo dropped by the bed where Don lay, "Oh, my...what..." Leo's voice had gone small, showing just a little weakness. Mikey didn't miss it. He saw that the Leader had feelings as well. He was genuinely worried for his mate. Mikey started to want that exact same attention, but he didn't want to interrupt at this moment. While he bandaged Don under his direction, Don explained to Leo what was going on.

"I was taking care of Cydney and when we came out, I heard screams in a cabin I was walking by. Ow, Mikey, not that tight. But I went in to see what was going on and I saw some humans with the red streaks in their hair, those of the Foot, attacking them. One loosed an arrow in my arm and I got this wound."

Leo watched as Mikey finished up the bandage and moved to sit on the bed beside Don, listening as he recounted the story.

"So, I brought Mikey back here, grabbing my bo staff and left to help as many turtles as I could. I left him to try and protect the cabin. Only two were burned and a couple turtles were injured. Most everyone held their own. No one was kinapped, no one died and no one injured to the point of fatality."

Leo nodded and put his forehead against Don's. He took a couple deep breaths, letting Don know just how worried he was. Without moving too much, Don gently kissed him.

"I'm fine. Don't fret too much. I'll live." Leo sighed and sat back on his heels.

"I know. You're tough. That doesn't mean I still won't worry about you though." Leo smiled weakly before turning and walking into the front room. Raphael came forward and smiled at him.

"Who would've thought the doctor had spunk?" Raphael teased. Don just chuckled and stretched out in the bed.

"I've got a lot more than spunk, Mr. Raphael." Raphael's stomach twisted a little at the gentle tease. He didn't know why, but he suddenly wanted to jump Don just then. He sat down in the chair by the bed and smirked at Don. 

Leo came back in the back room, "Alright. I've thought on this hard. I just can't stand the idea of leaving you here without any more protection. Don is out of commission now, so Mikey."

The youngster looked up at Leo, bright eyes almost glowing, "Yes?"

"I'm going to teach you ninjutsu. We're going to the blacksmith to get you weapons made and Raphael," The turtle in question looked up at Leo, "We're going to be gone for a few weeks. When a student is first taught, they are taken to a certain place in the forest to learn in peace. Just for the first few weeks, alright? I need you here to protect Donnie."

Raphael was ready to protest, but Mikey's sudden squeal and cheer, made him stop. He grit his teeth, watching as Mikey threw himself in Leo's arms, screaming happily. Raphael sighed, deciding if Mikey wanted to do this to be happy. He couldn't stop the small ache in his heart that said Mikey didn't need him anymore. He looked over at Don, seeing the small smile on his face. He had another person who needed him so he wasn't totally useless.

Raphael sighed, making Don reach over and grab his hand, "Hey. Don't be too down. It's only two to three weeks. He'll be back soon. He's a fast learner."

"Yeah, but still. I feel...useless..." Don shook his head and squeezed his hand.

"You're not, believe me. Once they get back,  I'm sure I can get Leo to teach you some too. It'll be great if we all could spar together sometime." Raphael smiled at him.

"Yeah, but you know I'd always win, right?" Don grinned, happy he was getting a glimpse of the quiet warrior's humor and cockiness.

"Psh, you wish." 


	13. Chapter 13

Leo walked with the extremely excited Mikey towards the Maker's part of the village. He walked up to a cabin that seemed to be covered in coal with a huge oven towards the open back. Leo smiled at the blacksmith as the ever energetic Michelangelo moved around the cabin, taking in the different weapons that were hanging up on the walls.

"Hey, there. I want to place an order."

"Make that two." Leo turned to see golden eyes smirk at his.

He sighed and turned to him, "Donnie?" Raphael nodded, "He wants you to come train with me too?"

"Actually he said, and I quote, 'We all deserve a vacation, especially Leo. You should go tell him to get you some weapons made too so we can go up to train together. Besides, I've always loved the training grounds.'" Raphael's smirk was undeniable. He was glad to have a legitimate back up to his constant surveillance of Mikey. The youngster didn't mind as he was still looking at the various weapons on the walls. That and Raphael had to admit, he wanted to see more of Leo in action. He had barely seen the Leader in the heat of the battle.

Leo sighed heavily, "God, that turtle is gonna be the death of me one day. But I love him." He turned to the blacksmith, who was grinning at the sudden business, "Yes, two. I'd like these two to choose out their weapons then I want you to make three pairs of whatever they choose with your best metal and toughest leather."

The blacksmith nodded, "Anything else?" 

Leo tapped his chin and looked back at the two, "Make his," Leo pointed to Raphael, "red, and make his," Leo pointed to Mikey, "orange."

Mikey squealed, "I love orange!"

"Why is mine red?" Raphael didn't want to admit that it was indeed his favorite color, but to have someone make a personal choice for him such as choosing the color of his weapons wasn't sitting too well with the giant.

"Well, you can change it, but I figured it suited you well." Even Mikey had to give Leo his props, he dodged that bait into an argument quite well. He was quite an insightful turtle and he knew that Raphael was beginning to crush on Leo hard. He was trying to use anger to get out of it. Mikey had seen a lot of things. He just decided to go along for the ride. He knew the doctor was feeling for him just as Leo was for Raph, but he wanted to see if things played out on their own before he tried to interfere.

"Uh, you guys. If you don't mind, you can nag later, I want these!!" He held up two pairs of nunchaku, shocking swinging them around quite expertly. He was doing well before he accidentally hit a weapon hanging on the wall, causing a chain reaction and all the weapons to come clattering down. Raphael quickly snatched him out the way to make sure he didn't do anymore damage. Leo proceeded to take the weapons out of the younger's hands, giving him a soft glare.

"Alright. You, Raphael?" The turtle in question sighed heavily before he looked down at the poured out weapons.

"Shouldn't someone get those?" The weapons mostly consisted of chains or wood. Mikey saw the bait into an argument again, but he was glad the blacksmith distracted them.

"No, you're fine. Alice! We got a small mess." One of the female slaves Raphael and Mikey had run away with came out the back, slightly sooty and sweaty, but overall happy. She grinned at them.

"Geez, you two. I knew I'd see you two again, but causing my friend trouble?" Raphael and Mikey chuckled nervously.

"You can just look on this other wall for some weapons. But I'd figure you would've went there anyway. You look like a blade type of turtle." The blacksmith grinned. He was getting paid, so he wasn't above jokes.

Raphael nodded and moved over to the wall of blades. He saw something in close similarity of those to the blue handled weapons of the Leader that stood next to him now. He fought to breathe. He didn't know why he was, but he felt his throat closing up in close proximity to this turtle. He stepped away from him and further down the wall of weapons, trying to ignore Leo's ever looming presence.

He continued to let his eyes sweep from top to bottom until he saw two, three pronged weapons hanging up. He blinked as he stared at them. He stopped to take their looks into account. They looked gruesome and intimidating enough. He reached forward and took them off the wall, twirling them with just a little bit of expertise he didn't know he possessed. He smiled and looked at Leo.

"What're these called?" 

Leo smiled a little as he grabbed a slightly smaller one off the wall, "They're called sai. Sharp and to the point." He gently touched a finger to the tipped end, emphasizing his point by gently pricking his finger and drawing a small spot of blood, "Dangerous and light. Takes a lot to master them, just like the nunchaku." He looked pointedly at Mikey. 

Mikey blinked and pointed towards the weapons Leo had placed on the table in front of the blacksmith, "Those are nunchaku?! Cool!" 

Leo chuckled a little and put the sai he had back on the wall before holding his hand out for the sai Raphael held. The larger terrapin didn't want to let them go. They felt so right and natural in his hands, "Can't I just take these to start training with?"

Leo shook his head, "No, the first few weeks are for stamina, flexibility, patience, etcetera. The weapons are not introduced just yet. I used to think the few weeks are to keep you away from the village to make sure you don't bother the blacksmith while he was making your weapons," Leo gently plucked the weapons from Raphael's hands as the turtles listened to him.

"I now realize that being up in the mountains actually gives you a good start to becoming a great ninja." Mikey nodded slowly before he beamed at Leo, glad to have a little attention as the blacksmith left with the weapon prototypes he liked to use as guides.

Leo smiled at him and gently patted his shoulder, "I'm sure you two will be great!"

 ~~~~

Back at the cabin, everyone packed restlessly. Leo had stopped by the seamstresses' houses to see if they could make some warm blankets, furs and clothing for the two additions to his home quickly. He knew the big order won't take too long. And if it did, he was sure he could wait an extra day for them. He wanted to train and prepare them as soon as possible, but he didn't want to get them sick while doing so. Leo rushed back to the house to check on the rest of them.

"Alright, the seamstresses are working on your clothing and blankets. I'll have to go get two more travel beds and some bandages to hold Donnie over until we get there." Leo thought out loud as Mikey managed to pull Donnie into a hand game. Raphael had packed the doctors shoulder bag with most of his clothes. 

"Cool it there, Leo. I don't need you to out think yourself today." He smiled at Mikey as he continued to play the little hand game with him, tickling him once it was over. Mikey squealed and flopped all over the bed. Leo smiled at the sight before him before sighing and nodding.

"Hm...Well there's a spring up there where we can get water from and--"

"Leoo!" Don whined a little as he stood. He walked over to Leo and hugged him tightly, "Just relax. I understand you're worried and all over the place, but this is going to be fun!" Leo smirked. He could see the youngster's attitude had rubbed off on his mate, but he didn't have a problem with it. He liked seeing Don so carefree.

"So you were the one who suggested the vacation, hm?" Don smirked and shrugged as he moved over to help Raph. He set out three more bags for the other terrapins, "Wh--How do you have so many traveling bags?!"

Donnie shrugged, "I would lose one and get another made and then find the one before. At one point, I lost all three and got another. Turns out, I have a bad habit at leaving them at other cabins." Leo sighed and facepalmed a little bit as a knock came from the door. 

Mikey squeaked and jumped up, "I got it!" He ran to the door and opened it a little cautiously. The Warrior Leader smiled at him and held out two traveling beds, "I figured you all would appreciate a couple more traveling beds since you all are going up to the training grounds. I hope you all fall in love with ninjutsu just as I did."

Raphael was still a little wary of him, but he had to admit, the Warrior Leader was quite nice by doing this. He flashed a small smile as Mikey grabbed them up and carried them to the back room to Leo. Raphael stood with the Warrior Leader for a moment.

"Well, uh...tell Leo I'll bring your clothes and blankets in a while. I just need some hands." Raphael nodded and closed the door, ignoring the subtle invite to help him with the task. He smirked to himself as he moved to report to Leo about the Warrior Leader's message.

Leo sighed and nodded, looking a little relaxed, "Great...we'll leave early tomorrow morning. Mikey, you can come with me to get something to cook for tonight. Raph, stay here and make sure Donnie is fine and to get the supplies from the Warrior Leader. Alright?" 

Getting a small grunt from the giant terrapin he walked out of the house with Mikey on his heels.


	14. Chapter 14

They had gotten up in the cold of the morning. It seemed like it was just an hour before dawn. The Warrior Leader had dropped off the clothes and blankets like promised the night before while they were eating. Leo had given Mikey a bath while Raphael watched Don, making sure he didn't strain his arm too much. When Leo and Mikey went out to get food, they bought up food and meat for weeks and put them in safe carrying bags to pack with the rest of the supplies.

After the baths and good quick meal of meat and veggies, they had taken to bed quite quickly in order to get a little energy before they made the long trek up into the mountains.Leo gently roused everyone, starting with Raphael so he could help get Mikey ready while he worked on getting Donnie ready. Everyone was up and packed by the time the first light of the sun started to peek over the horizon. Mikey was still leaning heavily on Raphael, still quite sleepy. 

Donnie chuckled at the sight before he started to yawn, "That's adorable..." Raphael flashed Don a small smile, knowing he was right about the youngster. 

Mikey jerked up a little and smiled before he fell right back over on Raph. Leo walked out of the cabin and blinked the sight. He chuckled and reached for Raph's bag, "You carry him and I'll carry your bag." Raphael nodded and slid his bag into Leo's hand before he pulled Mikey up onto his shell, the younger grumbling in small protest before he started to softly snore again. Leo sighed and smiled at them.

"Ready?" They both nodded before Leo turned and headed up towards the Elder's road, "This is the Elder's road. We'll stop at his cabin first to get his blessing before continuing up to where our own little slice of heaven is." Leo smiled to himself as he thought of his private getaway. It was a little place hidden in the crevices of the huge mountain just reserved for the Leader and his family. It was passed down through the generations just as the title of Leader himself.

"Thought you said you couldn't let me around the Elder?" Leo heard the smirk in Raph's voice. Leo just smirked to himself before turning to glance at Don, who smiled at Leo. 

Leo sighed and turned back forward, "Well, not without me, now. You're apart of my house and I have a reason to want to train you in the art of ninjutsu, so he's gonna have to deal with you." Leo smirked at Don as he gasped. Don rarely saw Leo get a little out of line. Leo rarely did, so Don, of course, thought it was hot. He smirked and bit his lip as he faced forward.

Raphael saw the whole thing go on in front of him and huffed a little. He hoisted Mikey up higher on his shell. He bit his lip to try and keep under control. He dropped back a little, gently rousing Mikey from his sleep.

"Hm? Raphie?"

"Hey, Mikey..." He whispered to him. His voice was a little shaky and unsure. Mikey took it s he was cold.

"You're not cold are you? You have on your fur Leo got you." Raphael shook his head, trying to ignore the cold around him. The fur was actually working wonders against the brutal winter breeze.

"I-I wanna ask you s-something...Are-- uh...Do you think--...hm..."

Mikey gently bopped the back of his head, "Just spit it out!"

"Will you be mad if I tried to get with Leo?" Mikey wasn't at all shocked, although the absence of Donnie's name had him tilting his head a bit. He was sure Raphael had gotten jealous at the already established relationship of the two. He was not about to let him try to break them up for his own selfish needs.

"Of course not. I was actually hoping you wouldn't mind if I tried to pursue him. Raphael's brow furrowed as he looked back at the youngster.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" 

"Since the day before yesterday night, actually. I was waiting to see if the feelings were more than lust before I asked you."

"Are they?"

Mikey nodded and smiled at him, "And yours are too, so no, I don't mind. But if we do this, we can't say anything, okay?" Raphael nodded a little as he glanced at the two turtles walking in front of him, "And we have to include Donnie."

Raphael blinked a little at the youngster, who just smiled at him, "Why do you say that?"

"Because then if we're all involved with each other, then there won't be any flack or jealousy." Mikey gently pecked Raph's lips, shocked at how long it's been since he last kissed him. He smiled and laid his head on his shoulder, "I want us all to be happy and together. Not stealing one another from each other." Mikey yawned again before he fell back asleep on Raph's shell, leaving Raphael with his thoughts.

The four continued for about another hour up until they finally came upon the cabin. Mikey had woken up and began to walk on his own, smiling goofily when he saw the cabin. Leo smiled at the chance to talk and spend time with the Elder yet again. He liked the old rat.

"Alright you two. I want you two to be on your best behavior. This old rat has a sense of humor but he doesn't go for sassing. Alright?" He looked back at them to get a brief nod before they walked up to the cabin. Leo knocked gently, waiting until the door was opened and he was led inside. The rest of the turtles followed him to a room in the back where there were mats set up in the floor made of straw and tightly woven together. Leo dropped the bags he carried by the door just on the outside and went inside to kneel in front of an elderly looking rat.

Raphael watched as Donnie did the same before he repeated the action and followed them inside. He sat beside Leo and watched as Mikey sat on the his other side. 

"Leonardo! It's nice to see you. And I see you brought the whole house. May I ask who the two new additions are?" Leo and Don heard the underlying question before Leo answered.

"This is Raphael and Michelangelo. They are two former slaves of the first escape group I brought back for Terrata. I'm planning on taking them up to the grounds to teach them the art of ninjutsu so they can better protect themselves. We've recently been raided by the Foot." A small twitch of the tail, but Splinter said nothing more, "And I came here to ask your blessing to bestow upon them."

There was silence as the rat's tail gently thumped the mats they sat on. Mikey wiggled a little closer to Raphael, wary of the rat, "Well, Leo. I must tell you, I was the village Elder before I was even elderly." Leo smiled as Splinter chuckled, "I've advised your grandfather, father and now you. I even helped teach you ninjutsu, although I'm sure you want to be able to teach these two on your own. So, I will give you my blessing. I do advise you take the extra blankets I have in the closet. It is to get extremely cold up on the mountain, despite the hot spring up there."

Don got up to retrieve the blankets as Leo bowed to Splinter, "Thanks, Splinter" He smiled at him, knowing the Elder was hoping for Leo to succeed. 

Raphael sighed and stood, "We got so much crap to carry." Mikey smacked his shell, "What?!" He asked a little annoyed. Mikey just rolled his eyes and nodded his head towards the Elder, who was chuckling lowly.

"You, Raphael, are going to  _love_ your first few weeks of training." Mikey snickered at the sarcasm that dripped from Splinter's voice. Raph was about to respond, but Leo gently pushed him to the front room, saying goodbye to the rat quickly. It was still quite early when they headed outside, Mikey and Don carrying the two extra blankets in their bags.

"Jesus, Raph. You were about to get our shells kicked..." Leo griped a little as they continued up the road a bit until he saw the secret little path. He turned and stepped over some of the foliage and started on the smaller path that was just meant for walking. 

Raphael scoffed as he followed him, "That old rat? Kicking our shells? Pffffttt, I highly doubt it. I'm not a ninja, but I got muscle." He flexed playfully for emphasis, making Don and Mikey start giggling behind them and blush. Raphael smiled back at Mikey, catching the blush from Don's face. He thought Donnie actually looked a little cute. He couldn't dwell on the thought for too long as Leo brought his attention back to him.

"Well that old rat has kicked my ass a million times before while he was teaching me ninjutsu. I'm telling you, do not underestimate your opponent. Especially that rat." Leo shuddered a little as he remembered one particularly horrible asskicking he got when he was just 13. He was being arrogant and the Master shut him up quickly.

"Oh, whatever..." Leo glared at him from the side, but decided not to try to be too hard before they even got there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had been walking two more hours and Donnie and Mikey began to whine from behind Leo and Raph. Leo smirked as his partner started to act just like Mikey. He sighed and stopped by a big flat boulder, tossing his stuff down by it and hopping on top.

"Fine, we can stop here and snack before we continued up." 

Mikey whined and fell on the ground, rubbing his feet dramatically. Raphael just chuckled and sat on the boulder by Leo, but making sure not to be too close.

"Ugh, how much longer til we're there!?" Leo smirked as Mikey cried out dramatically.

"Consider this the first part of your training. Endurance. But we do have a good ways to go. 3 more hours if we hurry. That way we'll have a little time for baths and food." Hearing the remaining time to get to their destination made Mikey flop on his shell and flail. 

Don had to admit, he liked that Mikey was now completely comfortable enough to whine and act childish, but it was getting quite annoying. He sighed and sat on the boulder on the other side of Raph, sitting quite close. He leaned in and whispered, "Was he like this when you two were held up together?"

Raphael blinked over at the doctor. He hadn't really talked to the hazel eyed terrapin, but he blushed now, "Uh, not really. He was always so scared." He turned his face away from those soft hazel eyes and cursed himself for blushing.

' _Great! Now you're blushing over Don, too! Play it cool and breathe!'_ Raphael took a big breath and gently kicked his feet, trying to distract himself. Don just hummed a little as Leo began handing out apples and pouches of water. He only held out two for them to share. He shared with Mikey while Don and Raph shared.

Don had the first sip before handing the pouch to Raph and taking a bite of his apple. Raphael was freaking out a little from the fact something that had touched Don's lips were about to touch his, but he tried to ignore it. He took a sip and rolled the water around in his mouth before swallowing and licking his lips. The taste of Don was actually quite sweet, even if he hadn't bitten the apple yet. Raphael blushed as he thought so.

Leo interrupted his thoughts again, "Gonna eat that apple?" Raphael shook his head and gave it to Mikey, who squealed for another apple. Leo smirked and handed it to him before he started to pack up the water again. They started off yet again after they were done snacking and spent the rest of the trip there in comfortable silence, although Raphael would start blushing wildly when ever he made eye contact with Don. Mikey noticed and smirked.

' _Leo, huh? Why not both?'_ Mikey smiled to himself as he started to think up a little plan to get Raphael comfortable enough to share himself with both of them without feeling guilty. Nor selfish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh and for some of you, I'm gonna include a pizza in here somewhere although it might be a few chapters before we get to it :3 just wait!


	15. Chapter 15

Leo hadn't really taken up the authority role with them, but he was going to have to for this training. He knew this was going to be hard since he didn't want to make them do anything they didn't want to, and they will not want to do some of the training for sure, but he was going to have to make them do it.

Leo sighed as he laid there, trying to will himself to move out of the warm cabin he shared with the three other terrapins. This one had five rooms all connected to the front room by a hall. It was made big to accommodate however big a Leader's family gets. Each room had a big bed, but not as big as the one he had at home. Just big enough to fit him and Don without them crowding each other. That didn't stop the doctor from snuggling up to Leo through the night, though.

Mikey whined about leaving Don and Leo in another room, but Don reassured him that they weren't going to be too far away. That didn't stop the adorable sad eyes they saw as he went into a room with Raph. Raph had managed to put the energetic thing to sleep easily by pinning him down and mating him fast and hard. After they were done, Mikey was out like a light and snoring happily.

It was two hours before Leo was supposed to get up and he was trying to figure out if he should explain things first or just jump into them. Don didn't have to train, so he could just help set up things after they get back from the morning run. Leo then thought about how he started to train Don. He just jumped into it and Don easily figured out everything. Maybe that would work with these two as well. He sighed and got up, making Don grump to him.

"Where're you goin?" Leo smirked as he heard Don shift around.

"Getting ready to teach ninjutsu...Where're you goin?"

"Back to sleep." Don turned over and curled up around a pillow, making Leo smirk and kiss his forehead.

"Good." Leo got up and started to stoke a fire in the oven, glad that Don came up with that little pipe system to distribute heat all over the house. He was sure that the future Leader's would love the idea and the past Leader's would've appreciated it. He just knew to keep small children away from the extremely hot pipes. He yawned and shivered,  waiting for the fire to get bigger and began warming up. He took out a few apples, bananas and pouches of water for Raph and Mikey. 

Leo still had 30 minutes until he had to go wake up Raph and Mikey for their training. He decided he would pull on a fur and go sit in one of the empty rooms to meditate. He sat with his legs crossed, his back straight and his eyes closed as he let his mind go blank. He breathed evenly and slowly for a while. He just wanted to stay calm and in control and made sure he did so all day.

After about 20 minutes he got up and stretched, glad that the cabin had warmed up quite nicely. Leo headed to the room where Raph and Mikey were and knocked on the door. The snores that came from inside told him that they were still quite sleep so he just opened the door and roused them.

"C'mon you two, we're starting our training today." Mikey grumbled and tried to curl further into Raph's side. The bigger just snored harder, ignoring Leo's presence even though he was awake. He just didn't want to get up so early. Leo sighed and put his hands on his hips. He growled a little and snatched off the cover, making Mikey flail and jump up immediately. Raph blinked and sat up, shocked at the boldness Leo possessed to do such a thing.

"I SAID! Training starts in 10 minutes. Your breakfast is on the table and I will be waiting outside for you. Your shells better be dressed and ready to work because as of today, I am the one you will answer to. I am your teacher and I have the right to discipline you how I see fit. Now, get up!" Leo left with a huff, making Mikey shiver a little. He looked at Raphael, seeing the fire in his golden eyes. He knew the authority voice that Leo just used had the same effect on him as it did on Mikey. Mikey just admitted to himself that he loved it. Raphael got angry, of course not wanting to show it.

Raphael growled and flipped over, curling right back up in the bed. Mikey didn't waste time getting ready and going to the kitchen to eat whatever was set out for them. Just one minute before he was supposed to be outside with Leo, he ran back to get Raphael out of bed.

"C'mon! Get up! You'll be in serious trouble if you don't!" Mikey pulled on Raph's hand, trying hard to pull him out of bed. Raphael jerked his hand back and curled up tightly.

"Hell no. Who the hell is he to boss me around? I was a fucking warrior before I was taken by those damn humans." Raph grumbled. Mikey whimpered a little before he took off through the cabin, nearly colliding with Don as he tried to make it outside before Leo came to get him. 

Don came in the room and sighed, "You should really get out there."

Raph shook his head and growled, "Don..."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help. You will get in trouble and push comes to shove, you won't get your weapons. Leo doesn't want to be all 'Do what I say or else' with you guys, but he is doing this because he wants you to be prepared and able to protect yourself. Even if you have muscle." Don rolled his eyes and picked up a cloth for him to wrap around his waist, throwing it on Raph, "You won't need a fur. The exercises you'll be doing will be enough to warm you up." 

Don left to tend to the cabin, trying to make sure it stays warm as he cleans up dust and dirt from not being used in a while. Raph just sighed and got up to get dressed, knowing he was late for the exercises. Leo came in the room and leaned against the wall, his intense stare boring into Raph's shell.

"Gimme a minute, I'm coming...jeez..."

"Don't bother. I'll take Mikey on the run and train with him tomorrow. You are to go to the Ha'shi." With that, Leo left. 

Raph was baffled, yelling after him, "What's the Ha'shi?!?" Leo had already left and Don came to answer him.

"It's a disciplinary tactic used by all ninjutsu. I was sorta put in charge of you in the Ha'shi. Follow me." Don showed him outside. There was a single pole and Don waved to it, "Go stand on it and I'll give you the rest of what you're supposed to be doing. I'm sure he wants you in the Ha'shi until they get back." 

Raph grumbled a little before he stood on the pole with one leg out. Don tossed him two spoons and put eggs in them, "Do not drop them and stay up there. I gotta go clean the kitchen, then I'll be back. But I can see you from the window, so don't do anything." Don warned him as he left to finish his cleaning job.

Raph huffed a little, thinking that the punishment for not following orders wasn't so bad. He just stood there, one leg out as he waited.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Leo jogged along with a huffing Mikey beside him, barely out of breath himself, "Aw, Mikey, I know you can at least make it to the next boulder!" They had been running along a 5 mile trail that circled back around to the cabin. Leo was only 1/4 of a mile in and he was just jogging. He wanted to start him out slowly.

Mikey whined as he tried to keep up with Leo, "Dude! Not a ninja yet! We must've ran for miles!" Leo snickered a little at the youngster's over exaggeration of the exercise.

"Actually, we barely made it out of sight of the cabin." Leo glanced back to see Don putting Raph in the Ha'shi liked he asked before sighing, "Damn I wish he would've just came." He muttered to himself, but Mikey heard him.

"Ya know, it's because...he has...a crush on...you. He wouldn't expect....you to come down...hard...on him...like that..." Mikey was huffing between each phrase, trying hard to keep up with Leo. The comment had Leo stopping dead in his tracks, the younger stopping with him still panting quite hard.

"Wait...crush?" Mikey nodded and stood up straight, trying to suck in as much air as he could.

"Yup. I was hoping he would be able to tell you on his own, but he has issues. He doesn't trust easily and has a problem with being told what to do. A lot of times when we were with the humans it would get him beat up. I hated seeing him like that. So when you came in and started ordering us around it didn't sit well with him. So, I gotta plan."

Leo rose his eyebrows, wonder just who this young turtle was and what he had done with the Mikey that came to him shivering and scared of his own shadow, "Okay, I'm listening."

"Alright, so Raphie is very passionate. Everything is emotions with him, love, hate, anger, it's all there. What I want you to do is let Donnie help me train for the first few weeks and you take him to train by yourself. Donnie isn't so bad in ninjutsu, from what I've seen in your spars with him, and all we're doing is the basics, right?"

Leo nodded and folded his arms, waiting for him to continue, "Yes. No weapons..."

"So you two know the basics of ninjutsu then both of you can be a good teacher. I'll train with Don and you work on Raphie. As you working with Raphie, you start getting closer and more subtle with touches or whatever you say or do. Make sure he's blushing hard as crap whenever you do anything. Then make him mad."

Leo blinked, "Why the hell would I make him mad?! He'll kill me!" Mikey shook his head quickly.

"He'll never really hurt you. He's a warrior so he as an instinct for being the alpha male. Like I said, problem with being told what to do. And even if he does seem serious, you're more experienced in ninjutsu, so you won't have a problem with him."

"Alright, and when I make him mad, then what?" Leo wasn't understanding where this was going.

"Raphie is actually a big softy. If you fight and he really doesn't want to hurt you, you two will end up mating and he'll be all sappy and stuff! He just wants you to feel for him like he feels for you, but he doesn't trust himself to not mess it up."

Leo stared at Mikey, wondering faintly how he came up with all this, "You know, you're quite the evil mastermind..." 

Mikey grinned and bounced, "Hey, I want a reward if it works!"

Leo chuckled and turned, ready to start jogging yet again, "Alright, what do you want?"

"I want a chance with you too." Mikey yelled back at him as he took off in front of Leo. His happiness of Leo's subtle agreement to the plan gave him new found energy to continue the morning exercise.

Leo stared after the younger's shell, shocked at the new spur of energy, chuckling a little, "What made you think I wouldn't give you one?" Leo muttered under his breath as he ran to catch up to the youngster.


	16. Chapter 16

Raphael grunted a little as he tried to shift his weight around yet again. He almost lost one egg right then, but he managed to keep it in the round part of the spoon. He finally understood why this was a great punishment tactic. He's been standing on the pole of a good hour with his arms outstretched, like Don made him do, with one leg stretched out and he was ready to collapse. He almost did until Leo came back with Mikey in tow. The smirk of pride Leo had shown him made him want to stay up there even longer. He wanted to prove to that stupid turtle that he had what it takes to take whatever he dished out at him.

Too bad for him, he was going to see a lot of it as Leo had moved the rest of Mikey's training for that day outside, right in front of Raph as to keep an eye on him. He had asked Don to help with Mikey's training since Raph was still in the Ha'shi.

"I'll explain the rest tonight, but right now I'd appreciate it if you were to help encourage the youngster for me while I keep a close on Raph. He seems to want to give up out there."

Don smirked and nodded as he followed Leo out, "Hell yeah! He's been up there for a little over an hour. I'd be tired as shell too." Don put his hands on his hips as he looked up to lock his eyes with Raph. He almost backpedaled at the raw emotion and fire that were behind them. He quickly pulled his gaze away before he was lit on fire and burned up just from a glance.

"How are you doing up there, Raph?" Leo asked, his voice level and strong, just like a leader's. Raph grunted a little before tossing a cocky grin down at him.

"Just peachy..." 

Leo smiled brightly in an almost teasing way, "Well isn't that just great! Since you're doing so well, then you won't mind doing another hour." Leo's smile dropped as he became gravely serious. He was about to turn and walk away before he heard Raph yell to him.

"Wait! You can't leave me up here for another hour!" The strain in his voice was evident and he almost regretted yelling out to the leader who stood in front of the post. Leo slowly turned back around, his gaze penetrating into the last of Raph's resolve.

"Then, hop down here and bow down like the respectful ninjutsu student I plan to make you." Leo stepped back to give him room to jump down. Mikey just walked out of the house from his drink of water and small lunch of fruit to see Leo and Raph in an intense stare down. He jogged over to stand beside Don as he kept his eyes on the stare down.

"What the shell is going on?" He whispered to Don. He felt as if he was trespassing, but didn't want to miss this great breakthrough. Don just glanced at Mikey, feeling the same about the standoff.

"Leo is trying to discipline Raph into bowing."

"Oh, he is our ninjutsu master now, right?" Donnie nodded, barely glancing at Mikey as he wanted to watch Raph and Leo. Golden eyes stared into blue ones. They fought for the alpha male title nonverbally for the next few moments. 

Raphael growled and shifted his eyes away, giving up this battle, but the war was far from over, "I'm fine up here, thanks." 

Leo's eyes narrowed a little as he watched Raph shift around to make himself a little more comfortable. He sighed and turned to head back inside, Don and Mikey staring at his shell in disbelief. Leo called back to the youngster.

"Mikey, did you eat something? Drink a little water?" The younger nodded a small timid nod, making Leo smile, "Good, you have 30 minutes of a break time before we continue with the rest of the basics."

Mikey nodded again as Leo went inside. Don turned to Mikey and smiled at him, "Wanna go inside and warm up?" Mikey grinned and nodded, quickly glancing back at Raph before he disappeared inside. Raph saw his eyes were full of the same emotion he has whenever he saw the humans beat him. Raph grit his teeth, hating the fact that his own stubbornness kept causing Mikey pain. He cursed himself as he tried to position his weight in a more comfortable way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raphael felt his cheeks heat up yet again as Leo and Mikey bent in front of him. Leo was trying to get Mikey to stretch out the tension in his muscles and work out more of the flexibility he knew he had. Leo had spent time thinking on Mikey's plan and decided to go ahead and work on getting Raph to open up a little more.

They both bent forward with their arms stretched towards their toes. Leo wrapped his hands around his ankles and looked at Mikey, chuckling as the young turtle grunted in effort to touch his toes or grab his ankles just as Leo was doing.

"You're fine. You'll find it easier to do in the coming days and weeks. I promise." Leo chuckled and winked at Mikey. Mikey grinned back at him and groaned a little as he stood up again, stretching as if he wasn't doing anything. Leo looked to Mikey for confirmation.

Mikey tossed a quick glance back at Raph, who was basically drooling over the sight of Leo's backside and tail, which wiggled freely at the moment. Mikey smirked and bent back down, nodding, "I know I will." Leo chuckled a little and stood up himself, wiggling the weird feelings out of his legs before he sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him, bending forward and grabbing his toes as he looked to Mikey, waiting for him to do the same.

Mikey whined, "Dude, I can't do that!" 

Leo just rolled his eyes, "Just try Mikey. If not, just grab your legs or something. Remember we're just working on getting you up to my level." Leo smiled at him and stretched forward again, wiggling his tail in the soft grass.

Mikey tossed a small glance back again, seeing Raph's face grow redder and his hands started to shake, making the eggs clatter against the spoons he held. Mikey didn't even have to let Leo know what he effect he was having on the bigger turtle since the noise was audible.

"Raphael?"

"I'm fine!" The curt response made Leo smirk at the youngster beside him. Mikey grinned back at him and got up quickly.

"Alright, what's the next stretch?" Mikey was excited, glad that his plan was actually having all the right reactions. Leo sighed and stood up, gently reaching out to playfully bop the energetic turtle on the nose.

"Back down. We're doing the runner's stretch." Leo sat back down like he had stretched before and curled one leg back. Mikey blinked at him before imitating his position and leaning forward, trying to grip his leg.

"Dammit, Leo! I can't reach!" Leo chuckled again.

"Like I said, it'll get better as you go, just grab what you can and stretch." Leo was leaned forward enough to put his chest on his leg and his head on his leg. He glanced at Mikey as the youngster acted dramatic, casually and sneakily glancing back at Raph, who was still staring at Leo, admiring his flexibility no doubt. Mikey smiled, sending a silent message to Leo.

Leo nodded and switched legs, making Mikey copy the action. They stretched a little more before Leo stood up and turned to Raph, this time seeing for himself just how much the terrapin was blushing. Leo smirked and walked up to him, his arms folded.

"Alright, Mr. Raphael. Your punishment is over, but you aren't out of all of today's work out." Raphael sighed and hopped down, his legs almost giving out, but he managed to stand tall. He dropped the eggs and spoons as he stared at Leo, waiting for him to finish, "You are going to meditate with us. You are obviously troubled with the idea of authority so we are going to meditate here in the grass for an hour. And do not fall asleep, or else I will assign you another three hours in the Ha'shi." 

Leo's intense gaze made Raph damn near collapse. He just nodded and followed Leo to the edge of the woods. He sat beside Mikey, trying to keep his distance from Leo. Leo noticed and smirked as he sat back on his butt, breathing and relaxing into the state of meditation. He was almost there until Mikey's voice interrupted him.

"Uh...how exactly are we supposed to do this?"

Leo sighed and answered with his eyes still closed, "You are supposed to sit there and relax, breathe, and let your mind go blank. Just don't think...just...meditate."

Mikey pouted a little, "That sounds horribly boring dude." Leo's well placed thwap on the back of the head had Mikey dramatically yelping, "Hey!! Didn't have to hit me!"

Leo chuckled as Raph growled, obviously warning Leo about hitting the youngster. Leo just rolled his eyes and sighed, "Just meditate please. It's just an hour. I used to have to meditate an entire day for discipline. I find it quite soothing actually."

Mikey finally calmed down enough to try and relax into meditation. Raph was already there. He didn't have a problem clearing his mind, but Leo's eyes and tail kept popping into his randomly. That entire hour was almost complete torture for him. Mikey just struggled with staying still.

Leo sensed their uneasiness and tried to remain in his happy place, thinking to himself, " _This is going to be a long few weeks..."_


	17. Chapter 17

The very next morning, Leo woke to find Raphael sitting at the kitchen table, an apple in his hand and a pouch of water in front of him on the table. Leo had to stop and stare at the huge terrapin sitting at the table. 

Raphael, extremely grump early in the morning, gruffed out a quick, "What?"

Leo blinked and shook his head a couple times before he turned to see the oven had already had a fire going in it. He turned back to Raphael to see he was finishing up that apple in his hand and was about to take it outside to toss near the orchard of fruit trees near by.

"Hey!" Leo called to him just as he stood. Raph stopped and turned to glance at Leo, waiting for him to speak. Leo stuttered a bit, "Uh...d- uh...th-thanks...for...starting the...fire..." He let his gaze drift to the floor. He suddenly wanted to kick himself for appearing so small and skittish to this male in front of him. He had to guess it was because he wasn't expecting him to be up this early. Leo planned on using the extra hour he got up early to meditate away the nervousness and anxiety today was sure to bring away.

Leo rubbed the back of his neck and coughed a little as he felt the golden gaze stare down at him. Raph considered him for a few brief moments before grunting his response and heading outside to throw his apple core away and relieve himself. He really didn't even want to be here. He merely decided to become a ninja because the way Mikey spoke of the fighting style. Well, that and those cool looking weapons called sai the Leader ordered for him.

He smirked and walked off into the brush a little, pushing aside bushes before he let himself drop into the open so he could urinate with ease. As he was completing such a mindless task, he wondered what had the ninja so shy around him this morning.

"Pft, maybe I scared him. Hehe..." Raph chuckled to himself as he finished up his morning task and went back into the cabin. He walked into the kitchen area, looking for Leo, but not finding him, began to look through the cabin for him. He found him in one of the empty rooms with his legs crossed, eyes closed and head slightly tipped back. He looked so still and calm, Raph would've thought he was dead if he didn't know better.

"Yes, Raphael?" The larger turtle blinked, not thinking Leo could even know he was there.

He stuttered a bit, "Uhh...well...uh...when are we training?"

"We will train in 30 minutes. I will train you and Donatello will continue Mikey's training. I have to start you out differently since you were in the Ha'shi all day yesterday." Leo just barely opened one eye to see the reaction on Raph's face. He tried not to smirk as he saw Raph huff a little and turn, about to leave, "Get dressed and be ready outside in 30 and we'll start as soon as possible..." He closed his eyes again as Raph left.

~~~~~~

Mikey sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Don moved around the room, sliding on his own clothes, "How dare he!? Frigging sticking me with half his job..." Don grumbled and slid on his lower cloth, ignoring the bright blue eyes staring into the side of his head.

"Donnie?" Mikey's sweet innocent voice made Don soften a bit as he looked up at Mikey.

"Hm?"

"Do you not wanna teach me ninjutsu?" Mikey's voice hit him in his heart again as he sounded so small and sad. The tone reminded Don of when he came to them, still quite traumatized by his experiences as an abused slave. Don sighed and moved to gently hug him.

"No, it's not that. I promise. I will teach you all the basics, but the thing is, it's Leo's job. I was merely coming here to watch over you and relax a little. I had been so stressed out before we even found you two at Terrata. I was hoping for a little breathing time. I'm not upset at you. I promise, Mikey. Okay?"

The younger nodded a little as Don moved away again to continue dressing. Mikey yawned a bit, "Oh, yeah. I meant to ask, what was up with that kiss when we were attacked by the humans?"

Don stood up and stared at Mikey, forgetting that the youngster was actually quite straightforward when he wanted to be. Don sighed and turned his shell to him so Mikey couldn't see the blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"That was just a way to calm you down so you can protect the place."

Mikey smirked at his shell, "Mhhmmmm...All I know is that I felt a little emotion in that smooch." The youngster chided at Don's shell. Don felt his cheeks heating up even more and tried to stifle his snicker. 

"Believe what you want to believe Mikey. I'm telling you. I needed you to be confident you could protect the house and I needed a way to shut you up." Don turned to face Mikey, finally ready. Mikey giggled and stood up, stepping close to Donnie. Mikey let his hand gently trail up Don's plastron, causing the latter to blush furiously and frown down at him.

"All I'm saying is you could've used a hand to quiet me, but instead you used your lips..." Mikey smirked and walked out of the room, "Whatever! I'll be outside when you're ready!"  

Don stared after him, trying hard not to tackle him as he walked out. Don barely caught sight of the little tail flickering out at him from under his shell as he left. Don rubbed his face, trying to rub the blush out before he followed the younger out of the cabin.

Michelangelo had decided that if Leo was going to break down Raph's barriers, he was going to work on Don's shyness. Don wasn't very straightforward and he would rather shy away from someone who obviously expressed interest in him than go after it. Mikey figured Leo had a hard time getting Don to be his mate. Mikey was determined to make Don more confident and outgoing with his pursuits. Mikey was going to make this easy for him.

Mikey was bouncing around outside, trying to work up even more energy as Don stepped out of the cabin, "Alright, we're doing a mile today! Half mile in, half mile back, alright?"

Mikey nodded and grinned, taking off jogging in front of him, his excitement giving him energy to begin the exercise. Don smirked a little at his enthusiasm before following behind him at a light jog, glad that he wouldn't have to fight with the younger. He glanced back at the house, seeing Leo and Raph step out and head towards the other end of the trail to begin their run of the morning. He hoped Leo was taking care of business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo sighed and turned to look up at Raphael, "Alright, today we're doing one mile. Half a mile up the trail and right back. Then we'll stretch and do a few exercises before meditating. Alright?"

Raphael sighed and folded his arms, staring up at the trail. He took a deep breath before he nodded, "Alright, lead the way."

"Uh, not yet..." Leo put his hands behind his back and stared at Raphael. That same air of confidence from being the alpha male came back. Raph immediately repressed the urge to growl, "In a show of respect, you must bow before we start our morning training."

Raph stared at Leo, his gaze searching Leo's. He looked for the mean arrogance that he usually saw come with the leadership and found it lacking. He concluded that Leo just happened to be quite well at hiding it, despite the fact he found him attractive, he just couldn't trust someone in charge.

"No thanks." Leo frowned a little at the smirk Raph held. Raph knew he caught Leo off guard with the refusal to bow to him and he just had to smirk at the look on his face. Leo sighed and turned, starting to sprint. He quickly left Raph behind, despite the fact that Raph started to run right after Leo. Soon Raph lost sight of Leo, but he continued to run until he felt he hit the half mile mark and turned to run back. As he ran along, he felt he was being watched, but didn't think too much of it. He knew the place was quite secluded so it was probably just a curious deer or something.

Then a mask of leaves and sticks that was made to look like a gruesome face popped out of no where, making Raph yelp and fall on his shell. He was about to take off in the opposite direction, but Leo was standing behind him with his arms folded.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, I do like to find different ways to punish my students if need be. Especially if it has hilarious results as that one just had." Leo smirked and trotted around a still quite started Raphael. Raph blinked and stared at the mask, shocked to find it wasn't even that terrifying. It just startled him.

He growled, hating that Leo had bested him. Although he was still quite pissed, he had to admit the ninja's skills were great. He could always tell when he was being followed or in trouble. His gut feeling is why he was always seen as a great warrior. He had great instincts and could always figure out a sure fire way to fight off any enemies.

He sighed and pushed away the mask that hung from one of the branches in the nearby trees and began running back down the hill after Leo, realizing he was going to be in trouble if he kept being stubborn. Oh, well, Leo's just gonna have to deal with it.

As he came into the view of the cabin, he saw just as Don and Mikey were making it back and Leo was sitting in the grass, waiting for them, "I thought you said Don was training Mike and you're training me?"

Leo smirked at him as he stood up, "That's the plan, but whenever we plan on doing something major like katas, then it should be best for both of you to learn it so it won't take as long. Besides, I'm sure you both want to get back home to your weapons as soon as possible."

Mikey squealed and bounced in place, "Yesyesyesyesyes!!! Oh! How was your guys' run?" 

Raph saw Leo smiled at the youngster, "I played a prank on Raph for disobeying. I have to say, the results were quite gratifying. You should've been there. I think you both would've had a healthy laugh from his reaction. See, I made this 'scary' looking mask from twigs and leaves and hung it on one of the tree branches and as he was coming back from the run, I dropped it right in front of him before hopping behind him. He yelped and fell on his butt!"

Raph's face went hot as he saw Mikey's eyes light up at the mention of his unfortunate experience with the great ninja who decided that he must be punished. He grunted and folded his arms tightly across his plastron. Don smirked and watched as Raph stared at the ground. Don had indeed warned him that messing with Leo could have it's consequences.

Mikey gasped at the word 'prank' and fell out laughing as his ever active imagination conjured up the image of Raph falling on his backside and yelping in terror. Mikey tried not to overdo it, for the sake of Raph's feelings, but he just couldn't help himself.

"That's so unfair! I wish I had seen it!" Mikey giggled and leaned on Don for support as his laughs took all his energy he had left from the run. He had to admit, he handled this run better than the one yesterday, but it still hurt.

Leo chuckled and moved over to the fruit orchard, "Alright, c'mon students. We're going to run basic katas and techniques today. We'll start on the more complicated stuff after you guys get your weapons. You will not always have your weapon to fight, even if it is a big part of ninjutsu," Leo spoke as he led them through the randomly sprinkled fruit trees towards a huge clearing much like the one behind their cabin in Atlantica, "So we are going to run through some of the easier fighting katas that you don't need your weapons for. But first, so we don't pull any muscles..." 

Leo stood in the middle of the clearing and turned to face the three other turtles. Don smirked, remembering this part of his training well. He had already been seduced by the turtle in front of him and he remembered the reward of being a good student always ended with him on his shell in the middle of this clearing. He almost started to harden at the memory alone.

Mikey and Raph didn't notice the look on Don's face as they watched Leo. Mikey watched out of eagerness and Raph watched Leo out of caution. He now knew of the skill he possessed and trusted him even less now. Mikey tried to contain his excitement as he watched Leo's eyes travel over them all.

"Don?" The turtle in question blinked and blushed up at Leo. Leo smirked, knowing what was going through his mind, asking him in Japanese, "Trying to stay calm?"

Mikey and Raph watched a little in curiosity as Don smirked and nodded, responding in Japanese, "I'm fine, Mr. Turtle." Leo nodded and turned his attention back to his less experienced students.

"Alright, turtles. Ready? You're going to watch first, and Don here will help you through each move as you two try it, alright?" They nodded as Leo stepped back, "But first, stretches." Leo pulled his legs together and bent forward, grabbing his ankles.

Mikey and Raph tried to repeat his actions as he led them through stretches, making sure they were good and limber before he started on the katas.

"Alright. Leg up." He thrust his right leg up, his arms tucked in close to his body as his leg struck out strongly. Mikey blinked and attempted to mimic the action, but ended up losing his balance and falling on his shell. Don helped him up and smirked at Leo.

"Looks like this is going to take a little longer than a few weeks." Leo chuckled and put his leg down.

"Try to keep your balance Mikey. Your turn Raph."

Raphael grunted a little before he kicked out, his own kick carrying immense strength, but like Mikey, he didn't have good balance. He did manage to keep from falling down though. Leo did the action a few more times with Mikey still falling on his shell and Raphael still a bit unsteady. He tried another balanced oriented kata, but Leo sighed a little, patting his chin.

"Alright guys. We're going to drop the katas for today. We're going to mediate out here, eat lunch out here and then head to the cabin. I have to figure out something." Leo sighed and rubbed the back of his head as Don frowned at him. Mikey and Raph immediately headed for a spot to meditate, testing the ground for a comfortable place to put their bottoms. Don walked over to Leo.

"What's up?"

"I'm trying to figure out a good training technique to help with balance, but I don't wanna put them in the Ha'shi...Just...lemme think. Alright?" Leo smiled at Don. Don gently patted his shoulder and nodded, heading to a spot to meditate himself. Leo sat and watched as the three other turtles began to meditate before he himself, slipped into his blank state of mind.


	18. Chapter 18

_Spongebob Announcer voice: Three weeks later_

Leonardo had to admit, they were advancing nicely in their training. After the quick balancing and flexibility training days, they seemed to speed through the rest of the basic training. He was almost sad that they had to leave so soon. He looked back over all the accomplishments he managed to secure in the past three weeks. He got Raphael to bow, Mikey began meditating with a lot less fidgeting than normal, and Donnie seems to be a lot happier about helping train Mikey. Leo smirked to himself, thinking that Mikey had something to do with that. The little turtle could get very flirtatious.

They only had two more objectives to complete. The first is they had to beat either him or Donnie in a sparring match. Both had failed to do so, but it's only been a week since they started the one on one sparring. Leo usually sparred against Raphael, but he could see the frustration and anger that would boil up in him when he didn't win. It was getting to be quite dangerous. Suddenly, Leo remembered the little plan Mikey had for him to get through to Raphael. He tapped his chin a little as he thought on it, thinking that maybe if they broke up into pairs when they were sparring, it might make it easier.

Leo was jerked out of his thoughtful trance as a gruff looking terrapin sat down next to him at the kitchen table. It was quite early in the morning and Raphael had learned to try and get up when Leo did. Don was already there, munching on his apple. Mikey, shockingly, was the last one to enter at the last minute.

"Ugh...can we please skip the morning jog?" He rubbed his eyes like a little toddler, making Donnie smile at him. Leo smirked and sat up a little, finishing his water.

"Sorry, Mikey. 5 miles around and then we'll break up to spar." Don blinked at Leo a little, "Raphael and I will go to the springs to spar and you and Don will go to the orchard. I think a little bit of a change might help you two."

Mikey whined a little before he flopped into his seat and began to eat away at his fruit. He stared at the kitchen table, his eyelids low as he ate. Leo couldn't help but smirk at him. He loved how adorable he looked when he got extremely sleepy. Leo knew that now that they were doing more and more that he was getting more and more exhausted. He just had to suck it up and build up his stamina.

"Alright," Leo stood and headed to the door, "When you all are ready, I'll be standing by the trail, waiting for you all." Leo left them there, needing some fresh air and some time to himself to think before he went on the morning run with the rest of them. As he walked outside, he looked up at the gray sky, hoping it wouldn't rain later on. He didn't have to wait long as the three other turtles joined him almost as soon as he reached the end of the trail. They then set off on their morning run, making sure that Mikey and Raphael were in front of them at all times.

~~~~~~

Leo led Raphael up the hill a little ways from the cabin, the air getting just a bit colder as they got closer to the infamous springs. The springs steamed and called to Raph, making him want to slide into them and just soak his muscles. He looked at them as Leo moved to an area that's a good distance from the springs, so their fight won't be interrupted.

Leo thought hard, wondering what he could possibly do to get the turtle that stood across from him angry, but not too angry. Raphael watched him, his blue eyes staring back into his own golden ones. He felt like Leo was looking into his soul and he felt violated. He turned his gaze away, already frustrated with the fact he has yet to beat him and to feel as though he was looking at his most secretive and deep thoughts was messing with Raph.

"Raphael?" He looked up at Leo, "Ready?" Raphael nodded and placed his feet apart in the grass. He readied his stance as he watched Leo do the same. They watched each other, each other watching for the other's physical giveaways. Leo gave a small twitch and Raphael sprang forward. Leo jumped back, missing the heavy fists that was flying at him with spectacular speed.

Leo backflipped away to put a little distance between him and Raphael, before he came back with his own kick, aiming at his chest. Raphael missed the kick, grabbing Leo's leg and swinging him off to the side. Leo almost lost his complete balance, but he just flipped off to the side before standing back on his feet. He stared at Raph, who had stopped moving as well to watch Leo.

"Raphael, you should be better than this..." Leo doesn't even know where that came from, but the quick flash of fire in Raph's eyes made him want to continue probing him. Raphael growled a little as he rushed Leo again. His fists only clipped Leo, his speed surprising Leo again, but he wasn't fast enough to land a full forced punch.

Leo jumped back, soon realizing that Raph was so focused on offense that he forgot to protect his middle. Leo kicked out hard, landing a kick in his stomach and making Raph fall back on his shell. Raph panted and grabbed at his plastron, trying to breathe.

Leo sighed and stood up, "Jeez, Raph. You were doing great. You have got to remember to protect your weak spots." Leo rolled his eyes, his criticism actually being real even if he was trying to make Raph mad. Leo stretched his arms above his head, about to turn and walk to the spring, but a grunt from the turtle on the ground caught his attention. Leo barely had time to react as he was tackled by the bigger terrapin. He lost all the air in his chest as he hit the ground with a great weight on his chest.

Leo coughed a little, trying to push Raph off of him, but Raphael managed to grab his hands and pin them over Leo's head. Leo, for the first time Raph had seen, had fear in his eyes. Leo had never seen Raph lose control like this. He knew he could easily get angry, but to go and tackle him like this after an unsuccessful sparring?

Then Raph stopped all Leo's thoughts with a bruising kiss. He pressed his lips hard to Leo's, biting and licking the leader's lips to get him to open up to him. Leo's thought processes shut down, making him gasp and open his mouth, allowing Raph access. Raph's tongue sprang forward, pulling Leo's into a fight for dominance. Once Leo realized what was going on, he pulled one of his hands from Raph's grasp and put it to the back of his head, pulling Raph down for a deeper kiss. 

Raph was shocked. He acted purely on instinct and lust. He didn't expect for Leo to kiss him back, muchless with this much passion. They were still fighting for dominance in their kiss when Raph began to move his legs, trying to wiggle his way in between Leo's. Leo noticed and grunted, trying to flip Raph onto his back, but his weight on him was just too much. Raph felt Leo trying to over turn him and pressed down into his body to make sure he stayed on top. 

His hand that wasn't holding Leo's wrist to the ground began to trail down the leader's plastron and press into his clothing. Leo gasped at the sudden feeling of rough fingers on his sensitive area. Raph to the chance to pull his head back and breathe. His hand kept massaging the soft lower shell of Leo's plastron as he stared down into those intense blue eyes. They were a little clouded over as they stared right back up at him.

Raph grinned with a little bit of arrogance, "Does this mean I win?" Raph's voice dropped off into a churr because as soon as he spoke, Leo grunted and let his erection drop out into Raph's probing hand. Leo grunted, straining to keep his voice level and his hips on the ground as he responded.

"N-no. B-but th-this feels--aaahhh..." Leo let his eyes drift close as Raph pulled down the clothing he had wrapped around his waist, his hand stroking Leo steadily. Leo watched as Raph's head dipped and he began to lick at Leo's erection. Raph let his tongue flick over the head in a teasing manner, causing Leo to emit more soft moans and gasps.

"Have you ever bottomed, Leo?" Raph's voice was gravelly and husky, but to Leo his voice was like silk, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He had to blink through the fog of lust and think hard to register what Raph had asked.

"N-not in a while...why?" After a brief chuckle from Raph, Leo wanted to kick himself. He asked a stupid question, but he had a good reason. Raph's tongue was doing wonders below his waist and he could barely think beyond the intense sparks in the pit of his stomach.

"Will ya bottom for me?" Raph's husky voice resonated through his being, making Leo just melt against the cool grass. He spread his arms and legs out, nodding as he gave consent to the larger terrapin. He rarely got to bottom and he had to admit, after being in charge almost all his life, telling others what to do and running the show, laying back and taking it was pretty good too. Don was just never good at the position, but every now and then he'd get aggressive enough to make Leo submissive.

Raphael blinked, once again surprised by the leader's actions. He was the alpha male, the leader, the authority figure, but here he was spreading his legs and giving up control to his student. Raphael faintly wondered why before he crawled in between the toned legs, afraid if he waited too long he'd lose his chance. He pulled down the cloth around his waist and rubbed his growing bulge against Leo's erection, pulling a strangled cry from the spread turtle underneath him. He pushed forward, burying his beak into his neck and nibbling on Leo's neck as he continued to grind his bulge into Leo's erection. It wasn't long before he couldn't contain his erection and let it slip out to rub against Leo's.

Leo moaned and pulled his legs up to wrap around Raph's waist when he felt the heat of Raph's erection rub against his own. He reached down and gently stroked them both, pulling out thick globs of precum from them both. Raph placed his hands on the ground right beside Leo's head and pushed forward, pushing his erection in and out of Leo's fingers.

"U-use th-the precum to p-prepare me" Leo's voice was giving out and Raph could tell it was because he was on the verge of becoming lost in a cloud of lust. That meant Raph didn't have too much time. Raph sighed and swiped up a good amount onto his finger before gently pressing against Leo's anus. He probed the tight entrance before he felt it relent and heard Leo gasp. Raph looked back into his eyes, seeing they were now dark navy blue instead of it's usual ocean blue. Raph hoped he could hold on for just a bit longer. 

Raph wiggled his finger around trying to loosen up the entrance before he swiped up a little more precum and added another finger. Raph barely noticed Leo had stopped stroking himself in an attempt to hold on to his impending orgasm. He took to gripping the fabric of his lower cloth on the ground under his bottom. Raph smirked to himself as he gently began to scissor his fingers, trying to go slow so he didn't hurt the leader.

Leo growled and closed his eyes tightly, "J-just forget it. I need you in me now!" The urgent tone of Leo's voice went into Raph's being and he began to move with renewed vigor by rubbing more precum onto his length and positioning himself up with Leo's anus. 

Leo growled and wrapped his legs tightly around Raph's "Now!" Without another thought, Raph thrust forward making Leo shift up on the grass. The rough thrust made Leo gasp and close his eyes. He felt as if he had been burned and someone was finally putting water on the wound. But Raphael went still because he was still worried about Leo's well being. Leo's 'wound' began to heat up again, making him growl and pull at the grass beside him. He needed some kind of purchase to release the tension in his lower region.

"Raphael, I swear if you don't fuck me right now, you'll be in the Ha'shi all day tomorrow!" Raphael smirked, knowing the threat wasn't too much more than that, a threat, but he didn't want to disappoint the writhing mess of a leader beneath him. Raphael pulled out, almost all the way out and snapped his hips forward, pushing Leo up further yet again on the grass. Leo gasped and grabbed at the grass again, "Ohhh~ Like that! Fuck me hard like that!" 

Raphael deemed that an order he didn't mind following. He put his hands right over Leo's shoulders so his thrusts wouldn't drive him too far away and began his rough claim of Leo. Raphael snapped his hips forward in another bone jarring thrust. He was rewarded with a full body shiver and moan of his name. He churred at the soft encouragement and continued to pound into Leo, making sure he hit that spot inside of him that made him arch his back and pull up clumps of grass.

They went like that, Raph churring out and Leo calling his name as loud as his voice would allow him to. Almost an hour later, Leo arched from one stab to his prostate and stayed arched like that, his panting becoming harsher and his eyes growing darker. Raph could tell by his body language that he was closing in on his peak. After making this observation, Raphael noticed that he too was getting close to that moment. 

Raphael dug his fingers into the grass and sped up, making sure he kept a good aim on Leo's prostate. Leo started to stutter, trying to warn Raphael of his impending release, but Raphael just kissed him, pulling back after a few moments to whisper into his ear, "I know."

Leo, having been fucked quite differently than what he was used to and most definitely loving it, came harder than he had before. His cum sprayed all over both of this plastrons as he yelled out as loud as he could. His muscles clenched and he closed his eyes tightly as he shivered from the sensory overload.

Raphael, having been clamped down on rather hard, soon came right after Leo had. He closed his eyes and bit into Leo's shoulder, but not hard enough to draw blood. His muscles went rigid and he balled his hands into fists as he tried to come down from his orgasmic high. Once he was done, he felt Leo's hands gently pull him down into a cuddling hug on the grass. He laid his head down on the grass, turning his head in towards Leo's. He opened one lazy eye to see that Leo wore a lazy but happy smile and that his eyes were closed as well.

"Leo?" Raph's voice was quite rough, making him wonder if it was from how much he was churring. The turtle in question raised his eyebrows, letting him know he had heard him, "Why did you bottom for me?"

Leo took a deep breath, his voice coming out rough and ragged from how much he had been yelling, "Because I'm always in the position to call the shots. Sometimes, I like to give up the control. I learned a long time ago it can be just as fulfilling." Leo hugged Raphael tighter and wrapped his legs around his waist, "You wanna lay here or do you wanna take a quick bath in the springs?"

Raph looked up at the steaming pool of water, smiling at how comfortable it could be. He nodded and raised up on slightly weak arms, pulling himself out of Leo to see his cum start to pool out of him and around his tail. Leo looked at his lower regions and smirked.

"Damn...never thought that'd look so good." Leo wiggled his tail before turning over to try and get up, realizing quite quickly that his legs were giving out on him. Raph smirked and picked him up to carry him over to the pool. Leo smirked and leaned his head on Raph's shoulder. Once they were both immersed in the warm water, Leo swam over to an underwater boulder and sat on it. It was tall enough to keep his head out of the water while helping him relax.

Raph followed, pulling Leo into his lap and nuzzling into him. Leo just chuckled and moved to straddle his lap, pushing to sorta curl up in his arms. 

"You know...I didn't trust you for the longest."

"I know. But why do you trust me now?" Leo looked up at him.

Raph looked down into his eyes, seeing now that they were back to normal, "Because if you were really a power greedy leader, why would you give up power and be bottomed by me? Just something I found illogical." 

Leo nodded and tucked his head right back under his chin,"I understand..."

"What will Donnie think of this now?" Raph started to fret.

Leo just chuckled, "No Mikey?"

"Well, Mikey was okay when I asked him, but I barely talk to Donnie."

Leo took a deep breath and nuzzled into Raph's neck. Raphael began to massage Leo's tail under the water, "Yeah...he's always so self sacrificing. I used to hate when he would neglect his own needs for mine. Now I just understand he just needs a purpose. Donnie has been trying to get me to make you and Mikey my other two life partners so I can finally be identified as the village Leader, but it's only for my status. He would say slight things like 'the bed gets lonely when I'm out of town' or something, but he doesn't have the confidence to actually pursue a relationship with either of you. Sometimes I worry."

Raphael hummed as he thought on what Leo said, still rubbing down Leo's tail, but moved more to his legs, "Well, we'll just have to build his confidence then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to Surfin' Bird while writing this...all six hours it took to write it...fucking A


	19. Chapter 19

Michelangelo grinned at Raph as he sat on the edge of the bed, Mikey bounced excitedly, "Omigawd! You topped him!? How was it?" Raph was laying back on his shell on the bed, trying to ignore the barrage of questions. He was still wearing his soft smirk from the arrogance of having topped the leader of a huge village that was in charge of over a hundred other terrapins. Raphael was feeling himself immensely. He put his arms behind his head and shrugged, trying to act cool. 

Mikey didn't get dissuaded, "Oh, do you think he'll lemme top him?!" Raph just rose and eyebrow, about to answer before Mikey began to ramble even more, "I can't wait! I wonder if I can get him to spar with me tomorrow!" 

Raphael chuckled and pulled the younger against his chest to shush him, "Me you and Leo have to talk soon. Leo's growing worried about Donnie and I think we're going to need your help. Alright?"

Mikey blinked up at him and grinned as he nodded, "Of course! What's the problem?"

"Well, according to Leo, Donnie makes slight suggestions that he wants to be with us like we want to be with Leo, but he doesn't have the confidence to pursue us like he wants to. Leo says that he only wants us around so Leo can finally become Leader of Atlantica, but that's it. I was thinking me, you and Leo get together and talk a bit--"

"Dude, I already started trying to get Donnie to get comfortable with me. I just think he's still wary of you though."

Raphael blinked down at Mikey, "How'd you manage that?"

"Well I have been training with him for the past few weeks and I do not mind flirting, but he just doesn't take any of the bait. I mean I'm making it as easy as possible, yet he still refuses. I have no idea why." Mikey pouted a little, making Raph worry.

"Well, you're cute, so I'm sure he's just holding himself back, but why, I have no idea. Just go to sleep, we'll talk to Leo tomorrow." Mikey grinned and climbed on Raph as they both got comfortable and went to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo laid on his shell, staring at the ceiling as he thought of how to start his conversation with the turtle laying beside him. Donnie just sat there, staring off into space, his mind probably racing about something other than what Leo was worrying about at the moment.

"Don?" His own voice shocked him. It was still quite rough from his romp with Raphael at the springs. The doctor noticed and leaned over Leo, looking at him with a worried expression, "I want you to know that I mated with Raphael."

Don broke out into a huge smile, "Great! So does that mean he'll be your partner?" Leo just sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't know what he wanted to do.

"I haven't asked yet."

"Leo--!"

"No, listen Donnie." Don sat back, feeling he was about to be in for some kind of lecture. Of what, he had no idea, but he hadn't done anything to be in trouble with Leo. He didn't flirt with Mikey, which he thought Leo might want the pleasure of having first, and he hadn't even been able to talk to anyone from Atlantica, which meant no spread rumors. 

"Don, you gotta start letting go."

Donnie blinked down at Leo, "What do you mean?"

"I mean your inhibitions. We are partners, right? That means we do everything and share everything together, right?" Donnie nodded, "Then why hadn't you tried to pursue Mikey?"

Don blinked, shocked that he was the subject of his lecture. Don huffed, "He's going to be your life partner, why should I be pursuing him?"

Leo sat up and sighed, rubbing his hands together, "That's not what I mean, Donnie. You said, a few weeks before we even went to Terrata that the bed gets lonely whenever I'm not at the cabin. I'm wondering that if you really wanted someone to be intimate with like me while I'm away, then why aren't you acting on the opportunities presented to you. And believe me, I know Mikey is flirtatious enough to let you know he's into you."

Don shook his head and sighed, "Leo you don't get it. I just want you to feel fulfilled. I'd be perfectly happy--"

"No you won't. Stop lying to yourself..." Leo's voice grew a little harsher with Don, making the healer stop and stare at Leo. He knew Leo would always grill him for doing something that neglected his own needs, but he only did it if someone else's needs were greater than his. He never had things to himself before, so what would be the difference now? He just wants others to be happy and healthy.

"I want you to go to sleep and be ready tomorrow, because I'm not letting you exclude yourself to only me. If I have to share, you're sharing too." The mischievous gleam in Leo's eye was something Don rarely saw. It scared him.

Leo rolled over and covered up before he blew out the candle near the bed, immersing them in darkness and leaving Donnie with his own loud thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Leo sat in the middle of one of the empty rooms, breathing deeply. It was extremely early. Earlier than normal and Leo didn't mind. He would've usually sat up talking to Don, but he had to go to sleep earlier to avoid being swayed by Don. Leo had made up his mind and he wasn't about to change. He took a few minutes to meditate before he got up and went to Mikey and Raph's room. He watched as Raph slept on his stomach and Mikey sprawled out across as much of the bed as he could get. 

Leo couldn't help but chuckle as he moved over and gently roused Mikey,"Hey....Mikey?"

The youngster groaned, "Nooooo....five more minutes..." Mikey curled up, popping his thumb into his mouth. Leo couldn't help but smirk at the sleepy turtle. Raph, hearing Leo's voice turned and looked at Leo as he tried to wake Mikey up again.

"What do you want with 'im?" Leo almost jumped at the deep gravelly voice that popped out of almost no where.

Leo smirked and stood up straight, "I was hoping to talk to you two about Donnie."

"Good...we need to talk about him with you anyway." Mikey, having heard Raph mention Don, shot up and looked at them both.

"What'rewegonnadoaboutDonnie?!" Raph had to clap a hand over his mouth and glare at him.

"First of all," Leo glared softly at the young turtle, "Keep your voice down, it's still quite early. Secondly, I'm gonna ask you to not flirt with Donnie on your run this morning."

Mikey pouted and was about to start whining before Raph closed his hand over his mouth again. Mikey shook his face free and sighed, "Fine...but why?"

Leo sat on the edge of the bed, "Well I have an idea. Donnie can be stubborn as hell when he wants to. What I think is if you suddenly stop showing interest in him and let his mind wonder why you aren't flirting like you usually do, then the sudden surprise of, "He jerked a finger into Raph's direction, "Raphael would help break down his barriers and then Donnie might be a little more susceptible to pursuing you two. I'm not gonna be around all the time and I know Don might want an intimate alternative." 

Raphael blinked, "Waitwaitwait, how do you know I'm cool with Donnie like that?"

Mikey giggled, "You always blush around him when he compliments you." 

Raphael began to blush again and shrugged, "So?"

Mikey laughed even more, "You don't even blush when I compliment you." Raphael huffed and was about to respond when Leo interrupted them.

"Well, Raphael, would you like to?" Leo stared at Raph, waiting for the inevitable yes to escape his beak. Leo had saw it too. He knew Raphael found Donnie's shyness and kindness attractive, but was just keeping him at arms length because of Leo.

"You wouldn't be upset?" Leo shook his head and smiled. Raph sighed and shrugged, "Yeah...I mean, sure..." 

Leo chuckled a little as Raph's cheeks heated up again. Mikey managed to catch his attention, "Hey...Did Raph really top you?" Leo wanted to deny, but he wasn't about to just lie to the younger. He smirked, making Mikey gasp. "He did?!" Leo shifted his facial expression to make Mikey doubt himself again, "He didn't?!" Leo tilted his head and stared at Mikey, making Mikey bounce back and forth between confirmation and denial.

Raphael could only chuckle at Michelangelo's confusion and constant jumping back and forth between answers. Soon Mikey just yelped out, "JUST TELL ME!!" Leo pushed forward quickly, silencing the younger with a kiss. Mikey, having been caught off guard, churred as his eyelids fluttered. Raph's smile fell as he watched the erotic display in front of him. He would've felt anger and jealousy any other time, but now he just wanted to pin them both down and mate them.

The kiss didn't last too long as Leo got up to leave, "Alright you two, get ready, Mikey no flirting, Raph you'll be sparring with Don. I'm gonna go cook some breakfast." Raphael and Mikey stared dumbly at the closed door Leo went through before Mikey began to giggle wildly.

"What're you laughing at?" Raph looked at him, trying to calm his body down before he got up to get dressed.

"Leo. I imagined his kisses would taste emotionless and stiff, but damn that was the hottest thing ever." 

Raphael chuckled and got up, "See what happens when you assume?"

Mikey smirked and got up to get ready himself, "Well I ASSUME that we 4 are gonna have an awesome relationship." 

Raphael walked out of the door to get some water for the tub in their room they usually washed with. As he left, he muttered to himself, "I sure hope so."


	20. Chapter 20

Donatello rolled around in the bed a little more, reluctant to let the warmth and softness go. He churred at the way the soft covers felt over his scaly skin and encased him in a thick air of warmth. Don sighed and got up, knowing if he ignored the smell of cooking food any longer, he'd be in trouble with Leo. He moved around to pull on some clothes before he went into the kitchen, but all the while, he thought.

_I don't really understand. I meant it, yeah, but I could never. Turtles weren't meant to be monogamous, but us being mutants, I'd figure he would like to have them to himself._

Donnie almost tripped over the edge of the bed, making him let out a silent string of curses. He barely had time to reel himself back in before he realized that he only had a small amount of time to get ready and eat something before the morning run.

_Mikey is so adorable and Raphael is just..._

Don sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Here I am fawning over them like a lovesick girl, but they're not mine to pursue. Alright. No matter what, just ignore Mikey like you've always done before!" Don set his face in a determined expression before walking out of the door and into the front room. He found Mikey and Raph sitting close and talking in hushed tones, but he ignored their behavior and went to Leo.

"Morning, what's to eat?" He looked over into the pan that Leo had a few eggs they had brought with the and a few slices of meat.

"Uh, bacon and eggs... Set up the table for me?" Leo didn't make eye contact with him which led Don to believe Leo was still upset at him for not trying to establish a relationship with Mikey, but Don was not about to give in. He nodded and turned to grab the clean dishes from the pantry. He passed by Mikey, expecting some soft comment about him, but heard nothing.

He was slightly shocked, but thought that Mikey's mind must've been on Raphael at the time. He grabbed the plates and utensils, putting them down on the table before taking his own seat across from Raph. He took a quick second to glance at the turtle across from him. Don didn't dare look any longer for fear of of his cheeks heating up and his tail tapping against the chair he sat in, giving away his nervousness.

Leo soon walked over, spooning eggs and bacon on each plate before he sat in his own chair. He smiled at everyone, "Well, hopefully, today can be the day you two can beat one of us in a sparring match. I have complete faith you two, so to celebrate early, we're having a good breakfast to fuel you up for the challenge." 

Mikey was already eating, ignoring the admonishing look Don tried to drill into the side of his head. Leo just chuckled at the eager turtle across from him before he began to eat himself. Don turned back straight, about to dig into his own food, but he ended up catching a quick flash of fire. 

He glanced back up to see Raph's eyes intently trained on him, the look in those golden orbs hard to figure out. Don wiggled a little, his body heat starting to rise, but he quickly cast his eyes to his plate to make sure he didn't embarrass himself.

Leo caught the little display at the table and winked at Mikey, who gave him a playfully sad face. They both thought Don hadn't caught it, but he had.

"Alright, what's the joke?" Don took a bite of the bacon as he looked between the two. Raph smirked to himself, wanting to laugh at their carelessness that got them caught by the doctor.

Leo blinked as Mikey stuttered, trying to get out an excuse as quick as he could, "Uh-mm-we, uh--he and Raph...uh...derp..." Mikey gave up, dropping his face to his plate again as he scooped another mouth full of food into his mouth to avoid talking to him.

Leo caught the end of Mikey's sentence to quickly draw the attention away from hi, "Well, I was messing with Mikey earlier and he asked if it was alright if we switched sparring partners today after the jog and I told him to ask you. He didn't want to, so I guess I'll ask you now. Are you fine sparring with Raphael and I with Michelangelo?"

Don blinked at Leo, his mind racing.  _What the hell does he think?! Of course! From what I gather he only established a close relationship with Raphael and not Mikey so this is imperative! What the hell is he asking me for anyway? Shouldn't he know it would be fine?_

Don smiled and nodded, "Of course it's fine. I mean, I don't mind."

Raph's deep voice suddenly started out like rumbling thunder in the distance, "Besides, I think you and I need to bond a bit. Especially if we're going to be sharing Leo."

Don felt his face heat up again as Raph's voice began to work wonder's on Don's nerves. He tried to offer a small smile to assure Raph that he thought it a good idea. He was just trying to calm the tingles that Raph unknowingly sent down Don's shell and up his neck.

Mikey grinned at Leo as Don ducked his head to keep his eyes from Raph. Leo just wiggled his eyebrows back at him as Raph beamed on the inside, glad he could make Don so nervous he had to move his gaze away from him. 

Suddely Leo was up and putting his plate in the wooden tub to be washed when they got back after afternoon meditation, "Alright, turtles. Finish up and we're going on our morning run. 5 miles around each pair starting from one side. Challenge, pair to make it back first doesn't have to wash the dishes." Leo grinned back at them, glad he caught them off guard with such an immature wager. He wanted to prove that he could very well be fun as well. 

"C'mon, Raph! I'm sure you don't want to be washing dishes!" Leo quickly darted out of the kitchen just as Raph jumped up to quickly toss his plate into the wooden tub. Mikey, having been caught quite off guard with the sudden challenge, squawked at how quickly Raph and Leo left Don and Mikey in the cabin.

"Hey! No fair! I was still eating!!" Mikey hopped up, shoving the rest of his food in his plate before he took out the door after them. Don wasn't too far behind.

Don and Mikey were sprinting up their side of the trail once they noticed that Leo and Raph weren't even in earshot anymore. Mikey chirped again before he started to pick up the pace. For the first few days during the training he hated the morning run, but ever since Leo praised him for being the fastest out of all four of them he wanted to try and get faster.

Michelangelo showed off this speed  now, easily leaving Don behind, but once he realized he was, he'd slow down and try to egg him to keep going. Don was pretty fast, but he was still slower than Mikey. He had great stamina, but being caught by surprise wasn't exactly playing in his favor this morning.

"Jeeez, Donnie! C'mon! I really don't wanna wash dishes!" Mikey bounced as Don finally caught up to him and set off again. He wanted to make a quick flirtatious joke, but refrained remembering Leo's request of him earlier that morning.

Although Don noticed Mikey was indeed a lot quieter than normal today. He didn't goad Donnie into a conversation so he could make the doctor blush at every other turn of the trail. Don watched Mikey, seeing that his eyes were a little unfocused and glazed over as if he were daydreaming. Suddenly, Mikey broke out into a huge grin, making Don turn his head to see that Leo and Raph were in front of them running their direction. 

Just as they passed Leo yelled to them, "We're gonna win!"

Mikey laughed and turned to yell back, "Dream on!"

Mikey had to use all his might not to turn and tackle Leo at the sound of his laugh. Mikey rarely heard more than an amused chuckle from the usually reserved leader. It sounded so light and carefree. 

Don smirked back at Leo, catching his wink just before they rounded a corner and was covered up by  the trees, "I'm glad it isn't dead winter. This would be a lot more painful and creepy to do up here."

Mikey, having lost a bit of energy started to run along with Don, "What do you mean?"

"Well when it's really cold up here the trees look so barren and weird when they're covered in ice. Then there'd be random frozen puddles on the ground and believe me, you can still fall and hurt your butt as a great ninja." Donnie giggled at the memory of Leo losing his footing one time when he brought Don up here to train.

Mikey wanted to burst out laughing, but refrained from doing so, "We should totally come back during winter. I understand the food might be a bit low, but I think some snow would be pretty cool to play in."

Don smiled at Mikey knowing he was still immature and only thought of the next time he would have fun. He just hoped this young turtle never changed.

They rounded the last corner and gave the rest of their energy towards the last stretch towards the cabin. Once they burst in, they found Raph lounging with his feet up on the table and Leo drinking some warm tea.

"Hey! We almost sent a search party for you. Started to get worried here!" Raph's booming made Don involuntarily shiver, but he glowered at the teasing turtle.

"Yeah, I had time to brew up almost two pots of tea." Leo chuckled as he brought his cup up to his lips, gently sipping at the warm liquids. Mikey whined and fell onto the floor to throw a small tantrum. Don just hung at the waist, groaning loudly and showing off his immaturity as well.

The two victorious terrapins laughed and stood up, "Alright, alright. Mikey, with me, we're going  to the springs. Donnie take Raph here to the orchard. Two hours sparring time. Hopefully our big breakfast won't have been in vain." Leo winked at Raph, a subtle and unseen gesture, before he wrapped an arm around Mikey's shoulders and ushered him out of the cabin and up around the little hill trail that led to the springs.

Don stretched, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Raph as he turned to head out the door, "Ugh, let's go. Soon we get it done, the sooner I can finish dishes and start on dinner."

Raph watched Don as he turned and walked out of the cabin, his tail obviously twitching with nervousness. Raph smirked to himself, "I think you won't have to worry about me slowing you down..." Raph's mind began to race on ways he could possibly break down Don's resistance. 


	21. Chapter 21

Raph and Donnie stood in the middle of the clearing that was surrounded by various fruit trees and berry bushes, all of which were almost devoid of fruit. They stared at each other, Raph waiting for Don's silent permission to advance on him.

_So, he's stubborn, isn't he? Well I can be stubborn too. All I have to do his wear down his resistance without him knowing what I'm doing. I have to do it so he thinks it's an accident or something..._

Raphael's eyes were so intently focused on Don, he would've thought that Raph was just focused on winning this particular sparring match. Don sighed and spread his legs, signalling to Raph that he was ready for his attack. 

_Alright so I have to get close first of all..._

Raphael slowly approached Don, making sure  his movements were immeasurable and Don wasn't able to easily predict where he'd move next. Soon Raph rushed by him, making sure his shell clacked and grinded against Don's as he quickly turned around, his fist aimed for Don's face.

Don barely had time to react as he first saw Raph spring by him. He was thrown off guard by the approach and was shocked even more so by the feeling of Raph's shell grinding against his. The action caused Don to move backwards as it was, but seeing Raph's arm spin around aimed for his face, he backflipped away to avoid the attack. He took a few seconds to try and calm himself.

_What the hell was that?! He freaking flew by me and then attacked. Albeit a great diversion, his shell hit against mine. If I didn't know better...nah, couldn't be._

Don quickly shut down his brain, trying to focus on the task at hand as he started to circle around Raph. It was his turn to go on the offense and he waited until Raph seemed to be trying to advance. Don easily blocked one strong kick to his right and jumped back to gain a little distance between them.

Raphael started to circle Don, trying to keep his muscles relaxed to avoid being predictable. His eyes kept with Don's hazel ones the whole time, admiring how the usual kindness and gentleness had been replaced with the fire and determination he would see in even the strongest warriors. He began to fall even more for Don.

_I'm actually a little surprised. He didn't recognize the usual mating invitation. He must've thought it was just an accident. I must try to spread them out as far as possible to try and keep him in the dark long enough until I get him down like I had done with Leo. Hopefully he won't fight back._

"You know, Leo and I mated right?" Raphael spoke quietly as he rushed forward again, trying to kick Don's stomach, but he was blocked. He managed to punch him squarely on the jaw. Don's head snapped to the side as he tried to gain a little more distance between them. He nodded and began to circle Raph a little, trying to keep him at a distance since the punch actually had a great deal of power behind it. Don felt a headache beginning.

_Why the hell would he ask that? What made him think I didn't hear?_

"What about it?" Don rushed forward, trying to catch the back of Raph's leg with a kick, but Raph expertly blocked it, hitting Don's stomach with another well placed punch.

"Did he tell you I topped him?" Raph sprang forward as soon as he saw the shock register on Don's face, kicking him in his side, but he ended up earning a punch the the jaw from being in such close proximity. They both backed away to gain a bit of distance and recover.

_What the hell!? Hell no he didn't tell me that!_

"He neglected to mention it. Once again, what's the point of you bringing this up?" Raphael sprang forward with another move like he tried before, but Don had the foresight to block both the kick and the punch. Raph jumped back and got back into his defensive stance.

"Well, I mean, we are going to be sharing Leo now, right?" Don gave a brief nod before he began to attack with a few quick punches. Raph punched him hard in the chest, making Don roll with the momentum to gain some distance to recover, "Then...well, I was actually hoping you'd be fine with the idea of me flirting with him and mating him from now on."

Just the word 'flirt' reminded Don of the fact that Michelangelo made no attempt to flirt with him earlier that morning. Mikey made no attempt to even 'accidentally' brush against him during the run. As his thought ran, he forgot he was even fighting. He almost didn't remember to block an oncoming kick, "Of course not. You are one of his mates now, so I see no problem."

Raph grit his teeth as he tried to attack again.

_What the hell is wrong with him? He just seems so detached and cynical. It's like I can't get any emotion out of him for the new relationship I've gotten into with Leo. Maybe if I get a little more physical. Take his breath away..._

Don side stepped him and turned his back to him, just in case Raph tried to do that spinning punch he had done the first time around. Raphael saw the move Don was making to turn and turned to scrape his own shell against Don and pushed back to try and upset Don's balance. Don, in turn, tilted forward, but caught himself and flipped away from Raph. Raph quickly faced Don.

_There it is again. That scrape and shove that makes me remember the invitation to mate. I wonder if he even knows what he's doing. Of course he knows, but why? Why is everyone acting so fucking weird today!? First Mikey now him?_

Don didn't have time to ponder the sudden behavioral changes as Raph rushed him and pinned him against a tree he didn't know he had positioned himself against. Raph quickly grabbed Don's hands and pinned them above his head against the tree. Don squeaked and his eyes went wide his his mind raced to try and figure out a way out of the strong hold Raph had on him. 

Don had no where to go and Raph's body was so close to his. He looked up into Raph's eyes, terrified from the fire that seemed to be raging there at the moment. It set him on fire in such a pleasant way he couldn't help the churr that bubbled up in his chest. He managed to cut it off so it just sounded like a growl, although it did nothing to deter Raphael at the moment.

Raph's eyes seemed to soften to that of a glowing bed of embers as he leaned in. He put his forehead to Don's and pressed himself against Don. He let their plastrons scrape together as Don's breathing got faster. Don just couldn't tear his eyes away from Raph's as he felt Raph gently rub his beak against his collarbone and neck, moving up the side of his head towards his ear. Don shuddered and basically melted as he felt Raph's hot breath brush against his skin.

"I win..." Raph barely whispered into Don's ear, his voice making Don shiver again. Don finally let the churr go as he leaned forward to let his mouth touch the hot skin of Raph's neck. He let his tongue travel over the skin, swiping up the salty droplets of his sweat.

_What the hell am I doing? I shouldn't be doing this, but he's so close and he tastes so damn good. And he feels so good. Is this why he was shoving and scraping his shell against mine?_

Raph pressed harder against him, enjoying the gentle caress of Don's tongue before he pulled back and let Don go, "I think we should go and start setting up dinner. I'm sure Leo and Mikey are almost done and ready to eat." Raphael turned away from him and began towards the cabin.

Don was left panting against the tree, staring at his shell. 

_How fucking dare he! He fucking makes me all hot and horny and he walks away as if it was nothing?! To hell with that..._

Don growled a little and marched up behind him, turning to the side to make sure his shell caught Raph's at a good angle and gave a good hard shove. Their shells scraped together pretty hard sending shivers through both of their beings as Raph almost pitched all the way forward on his face. He stumbled a bit and turned to face Don, noticing the sudden glow in Don's hazel eyes. Don said nothing, but his eyes screamed at Raph. He did everything not to smirk.

_Invitation to mate. He finally got it. I should make him work for it._

Raph folded his arms and stood with his legs apart as if daring Don to do it again. Don stared back at Raphael, wondering if he should actually do it again.

_I shouldn't do this. I shouldn't be doing this. He's Leo's and Leo's alone. I can't..._

Don was cursing himself as his legs pushed him towards Raph. He steered off to the side just a bit so the edge of his shell would clack against Raph's. The churr Raph gave was small, but it didn't go unnoticed by Don. Don smiled in victory as he turned around to scrape his shell against his again and push him a bit. Before he could turn and do it again, Raph loomed over his back. Don barely gave a glance back at him.

"I should't be doing this..." Don said as he let Raph's hands travel down his sides and hips.

"Why the hell not?" Raph's breath ghosted over Don's neck, making him shiver against the bigger terrapin.

"You're Leo's mate. His only...you don't belong to me..." Don's voice gave out to churrs because Raph let his tongue travel up from his shoulder to his ear.

"What makes him so special? Hm? How come he must have three mates and you are stuck with just sharing him?" Raph let his voice go deeper than normal to help break down the rest of Don's barriers.

"H-he's to be the Leader. I'm just...just one of--"

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Doctor, turtles aren't monogamous. So why exclude yourself? I know Mikey's been flirting enough to make it easy as hell for you." Raph's fingers were gently hooking into the waistband of Don's cloth and he began to slid it down.

Don bit his lip and turned his head more to the side so Raphael could get at his neck better, "Be-because..." He couldn't think of a logical excuse. He just felt like he wasn't worthy of such luxuries. He felt inadequate, "I feel like I d-don't deserve anyone. Leo ju-just happened to convince me to-to be his mate. Otherwise, I-I would've lived alone..."

Raph suddenly felt angry. Who was it that told Donnie he wasn't worthy of anyone and why did he believe them? He's a very intelligent turtle, but someone got it stuck in his head he was meant to live a horrible, lonely life? Raph had to take a deep breath to keep his anger away for another time. Right now he needed to focus on make Don believe that he was indeed worthy.

Raphael turned Don to face him and put his forehead against Don's, "Look, I don't know your story, but I want you to know that no one, not even you, should be alone. Everyone deserves someone..." Raphael felt like a total hypocrite, but he realized that his words were true. Before he was captured to be a slave he believed that the life of a warrior should be a lonely one as not to cause heartache to another if he should die in battle. But even he had to believe that a little time is better than no time at all.

"But--" Raph's lips grabbed Don's in a hungry kiss that left the latter confused and hot. 

"'But' nothing. Not unless you're talking about what you're about to give to me." Raph's teasing voice barely broke through to Don as he leaned against Raph. The large terrapin just gently picked him up before walking in the middle of the tall grass. He placed him down onto his carapace and loomed over him, "You bottom don't you? Leo told me he hasn't bottomed for you in a while..."

Don nodded as he spread his legs for Raph who slid in between the two muscular thighs easily, "I-I don't top well. I'm almost never able to bring Leo to completion."

Raphael had started to kiss on his collarbone and neck, making him stutter and soon stop talking in favor of churring out his pleasure to Raphael, "Tsk, tsk. I think Mikey would love for you to top him. He's quite sensitive anyway. I know Leo takes a while..."

"Y-you wouldn't mind m-me mating Mikey? I...I saw you two mating a while ago..." Don sounded so small under him, but his legs wouldn't stop pulling Raph into him. Raphael shook his head.

"See, I have an idea." He pressed his lips to Don's as his hand started to gently rub down his plastron, soon finding that familiar slit in his plastron and began to rub against it. His fingers expertly traced the slit before one finger dipped inside and gently rubbed against the head of Don's dick.

Don let out a loud gasp as he dropped into Raphael's hand without an ounce of shame, "I-idea?"

"Yes. Say we all share Leo as well as share each other..." Raphael gently stroked Don to fullness, flicking the tip of his thumb over the head at just the right place to make Don's eyelids flutter and him moan out Raph's name.

"S-so l-like an o-open rela-lationship between us all?" Don couldn't speak anymore. Raph had began to use the precum he managed to get out of Don to prep him and it was feeling heavenly. Leo had always been gentle and sweet, which Don could of course appreciate, but the rough fingers coupled with his gentle care made Don start to love Raphael's way of prepping him as well.

"Yup." Raph husked against Don's neck. He had managed to wiggle his way out of his own lower cloth and let his length spring free. He had Don prepped and ready and all he needed was his confirmation to take him. He leaned up and looked into Don's hazel eyes, gently pushing the head of his dick against Don's entrance. This was his silent question.

Don looked up into his golden eyes, his mind racing on whether or not to go ahead. This was it, if they continued there was no turning back. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards as Don wrapped his legs around Raph's waist and pulled him forward and into Don's entrance.

Raph hissed as Don gasped at the intrusion. Raph panted hotly against Don's neck as he moved his hands to rest against the grass by Don's shoulders. Don brought his arms up under Raph's arms and held on to him by his carapace, silently urging him to move with his legs, "After th-this...I sw-swear, you're gonna tell me about y-you." Raph husked into Don's ear as he began to slide in and out of Donnie at a slow pace.

The bottoming turtle gasped and let his eyes flutter as he looked up to the sky. It may have seemed gray and dull to anyone else, but the feeling of wonderful sparks and tingles in his lower regions made everything look beautiful. Donnie panted out Raph's name to earn a churr from the topping turtle.

Raph slowly sped up, keeping a steady pace as to keep from hurting the doctor. Donnie didn't seem like the type to like it hard and fast, so he tried to draw it out for as long as possible. Raphael covered Don's mouth with his own and began to kiss him deeply, his other hand going down to push one of Don's legs up a bit. The small shift gave Raph the angle he needed to hit Don's prostate. The shift caused Don to gasp and arch his back as much as his shell would allow.

Raphael had to release his hold on Don's mouth in favor of his neck. As his hips continued to pump in and out of Don at a tantalizing pace, regularly striking his prostate, he felt up Don's well toned thighs. He had to appreciate the fact that Don may be a little skinnier than the rest of them, but his muscle was of the same quality and did nothing less than to turn Raphael on more.

The next thing Raphael knows there's fingers on his tail gently pinching from the base and stroking all the way to the tip. Unable to stop himself, he thrust deep and hard into Donnie, hitting his prostate quite hard. Donnie bit his lip hard and clamped down on Raphael, almost climaxing then and there.

"D-dammit, Donnie!" He looked down to see Don wearing a wolfish grin.

"Can't let you have all the fun, can I?" Raph smirked and leaned down to kiss him as he began his strokes again. Donnie did manage to stutter out, "I-I'm c-cumming-g" His eyelids fluttered as he continued to stroke Raph's tail, making Raphael jerk and thrust into his prostate harshly.

"Y-ya keep up th-the tail s-strokin' and I'll c-cum too." Raph pushed his forehead against Don's as he pushed back both of Don's legs to give himself an even better angle. He set an even faster and more brutal pace than the one before, ready to bring Don to completion. The aforementioned turtle was shivering and clawing at the tall grass at his sides, churring as loud as he could to voice the pleasure he couldn't form words to explain to Raph.

A few moments later and Donnie was yelling Raphael's name at the top of his lungs, not caring if anything dangerous was around to hear him. He clamped down on Raphael soon drawing him to his own climax. Raphael went rigid as he came deep inside Don's heat. As soon as he couldn't handle it anymore, he had to slide off to the side of Donnie, afraid of crushing him after he came down.

They laid in comfortable silence, staring at the grey sky as they both gathered their breathing.

"So...About me, huh?" 

Raphael nodded and reached out to pull Donnie close to him.

"Why?" 

"Because we barely spoke before. I've found you attractive for a while and hearing you believe you're not worthy to be with someone makes me want to figure you out even more." Raph turned on his side and gently pressed his lips to Don's, "But it's gonna have to wait until later."

Donnie didn't suppress the whine that rose in his throat as Raphael got up and walked away, "Whhhhyyyy?!"

Raphael chuckled and picked up Don's lower cloth before carrying it over to him and tossing it at him, "We gotta get back and fix dinner, remember?" Don blinked and huffed as he fell back on his shell. Raphael chuckled and helped him up and into his clothing, "I wonder what Leo and Mikey are doing..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys didn't get the whole 'invitation to mate' shit, it's something turtles do. They're very aggressive and shove and scrape their shells together before actually mating. I don't know what it is, but apparently it works.¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	22. Chapter 22

Donnie tried to keep his distance, but he couldn't resist pressing into Raph's side and holding his hand. Not that the larger turtle minded, of course. He actually preferred it. He was glad the doctor was a lot better with his shyness. The public displays of affection let Raphael know that Don was letting go of his inhibitions. Even if they weren't really in public.

"So, why did you use that old 'invitation to mate' deal?" Donnie looked up at him as his thumb gently rubbed over the back of Raph's hand. Raph smiled to himself as he thought about it.

"Well, you're a doctor, so I assumed you'd be smart enough to know about even the most primitive of our culture. I learned this a while ago. My mom would tell me about how our ancestors would be aggressive and knock their shells together before mating." 

Donnie nodded and walked away from him a bit while holding on to his hand, "Yeah, everyone knows that."

Raphael rolled his eyes, but he contained his smirk, "Of course, but she said that only a few of us do it today because we're now 'intelligent' beings that can talk and let others know what we want without all that physical stuff."

Donnie nodded again, "Yes....where the hell are you going with this Raph?"

Raphael chuckled and squeezed Donnie's hand, "Well she said that she respected those people because for them to go back to such a time for courting their mates. She said, and I'm quoting her here, 'If someone does something that obscure and uncommon, it must mean that their love for that turtle is so great that they can't find words to express it.'"

Raphael managed not to turn pure red from blushing as he spoke. Although he could feel Don's eyes on the side of his head the entire time. He never felt they were as intense as Leo's, but at that moment they felt like they could bore holes into his head if he wanted to. When he was done, he smiled over at Donnie, a little happy to see the sweet smile from the doctor.

"Awww! I think I would've loved to have met your mom!" Don beamed for a second before he saw a shadow pass over Raph's face, "Oh, I'm sorry...I forgot--"

"It's fine." Raph's jaw was clenching and unclenching, an action Don found unbelievably attractive, but he couldn't revel in the sight of it because of the obvious pain in Raph's eyes, "So, what're we cooking tonight?"

Don was shocked that Raph had changed the subject quickly and was back to smiling and rubbing his hand gently. He was afraid that he had struck some sensitive nerve of Raphael's and didn't want to push his luck with the larger terrapin.

"Oh, uh...what do you think would be good? We have some deer saved up. I'm sure Mikey has come to love peas." Don smirked to himself, "with sugar of course."

Raphael chuckled and opened the cabin door to let Donnie step in before entering himself, "Well whatever you wanna do, we should--GAH!"

Raphael almost fell on his behind as his eyes came into contact with a brown snout and black beady eyes. He sighed and grabbed his chest as Splinter started to chuckle, "Hello, Raphael. Nice to see that you are glad to see me."

Donnie had began laughing as soon as Raphael had yelped at the sight of the large rat. He was still bent over a chair, holding his stomach from the laughs that erupted from his middle. Raphael scowled and growled a little, "Oh hardy har har..." Donnie giggled and moved to give him a hug as he continued to grumble over Don's head.

"Sorry...I thought you knew he was coming." Don stepped back and began to set about pulling out food to cook, "It's the last step of your training. Wait..." Don stopped and walked to stand in front of Splinter, "If you're here, then that means you sensed that their basic training has reached the potential to go to the next level?"

Splinter merely nodded before Donnie broke out into a huge grin, "Then Mikey beat Leo! Oh, jeez..." Don's eyebrows rose as he looked at Raph, "Uh...can you help me set up a room for Master Splinter please?" Raphael was a little confused, but he decided to do what Donnie asked anyway.

Don basically dragged him down the hall. As soon as they were alone in one of the unused rooms he spoke, "Okay, if he's here and I'm right, then that means that Mikey already beat Leo..."

Raph stared at Don, nodding as Don stared back,"....okay...."

Don facepalmed and sighed, "Why aren't they here yet?! The springs aren't that far away..."

Raph's brow furrowed for a few seconds before he finally realized what Donnie was getting at, "Oh...oh...OHHHH!!! OH! Okay...So, what's the problem?"

Don shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, "No problem, just wanted you to realize that."

Don left Raphael in the room as he stood there still confused, "I already knew that!..." Raphael continued to grumble to himself as he set up the bedroom for Master Splinter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright! I have a bet for you, Mr. Leader!" Mikey was bouncing along the trail to the springs in front of Leo. The older turtle smirked to himself as he followed the ever energetic Mikey further up the hill.

"Yes, Michelangleo?" Leo watched as a cardinal flew off into one direction, admiring it's vivid red color as it passed.

"If I win, I get to top you and if you win, you can bottom for me!" Mikey grinned, thinking he was just the cleverest turtle. Leo couldn't help but chuckle.

"That means the same thing, Mikey. You can't fool me sweetheart." Leo gently kissed Mikey's temple before he walked into the clearing by the hot springs, "How about you top if you win and you bottom if I win. Hm?"

Mikey pouted as Leo saw through his little plan, but he didn't let it keep him down. He bounced around in front of Leo, waiting for the signal to spar. Once it was given he sprang forward with speed even Leo had to admit he had problems keeping up with. They fought and fought, Leo serious and Mikey as playful as ever. Pretty soon, Mikey took off for the woods, leaving Leo to stare at his shell in surprise. Why the hell would he just run off like that? Without another thought, he took off after him. 

Leo had ran for a while before stopping and listening around. He could sense Mikey's presence in the woods, but he couldn't pinpoint it like he usually can with Donnie.

"One of the rules of being a ninja is using your surroundings to your advantage. You're doing quite well..." Leo admitted out loud to seemingly no one as he continued to stalk forward. He stepped on dead leaves and twigs, but managed to stay silent. He waited for the snap of something to give away Mikey's position.

Suddenly, something sounded to Leo's right, making him whip around to look at the source. He immediately regretted it as he felt his air leave his body and his shell hit the ground. This was his second time being tackled and he could definitely say he hated it. He continued to fight for his breath as Mikey pinned his arms above his head.

"Yes! I win! Whoo! Mikey, 1, Leo....we're not gonna go into score right now..." Mikey mumbled, knowing full well this was his first win against many of his losses to Leo. Leo managed to chuckle beneath him.

"Alright, ya nutball. You win." Leo churred, making Mikey's eyes light up and his smile seemed to get wider. He pushed forward without hesitation and kissed Leo deeply. Leo had to admit, his energy and enthusiasm made him just as excited. He couldn't get out of his lower cloth quick enough. Mikey's fingers were gentle and slow, both polar opposites of Mikey's persona, all while his tongue was just what his mind was. Excited and all over the place. 

Leo had to tear his mouth away to catch his breath as Mikey busied himself with Leo's neck. He licked and sucked and nibbled as his hands were leaving burning trails over Leo's skin. Leo never felt this sensitive before. When he was topped by Raphael, he couldn't get Raph to fuck him fast enough, almost as if the larger terrapin loved teasing him, but it seems Mikey is going to just run him over with all his energy.

Michelangelo had managed to wiggle out of his own lower cloth and pull Leo's down along with his, "Alright, in all honesty, I've never topped. Just been bottomed by Raphie. I'm gonna need your help with this."

Leo just chuckled breathlessly as the bulge in his lower shell finally split and let his erection slip into the air, "Well, you need to prep me..." Leo grabbed Mikey's hand and placed it on his length, "U-use the prec-cum to prepare me.." Leo had started to pant as Mikey's hand started to stroke him in slow tantalizing pulls. Leo faintly wondered how the hell Mikey can be two different types of turtle at that moment. He didn't have long to think on the situation as Mikey had managed to slip below and start to lick at his length.

Leo gasped as his legs started to shiver. Oral sex had always been his weakness and it was one of the many ways Don could get him to agree to something he wasn't too eager to do. Mikey seemed to know exactly what he was doing, the way he would use his tongue to press against the most sensitive parts of Leo's length and use his hand to stroke the parts his mouth could cover. When he gave one strong suck, Leo had to fall limp and slur curses to no one in particular.

"Dammit, Mikey..." Leo was about to spread his legs to beg him to go ahead and fuck him. Leo was a little confused by the strong hand on his legs and cold air against his length as Mikey moved his mouth and began to straddle him.

"Sorry, Leo. I changed my mind. I think it'd be better if we wait until we're near some type of bed for me to top you for the first time." Leo tried to blink away the cloudy haze of lust as he saw Mikey positioned over him. Mikey's length was rigid and dripping with precum, showing just how sensitive it probably was. Leo was so distracted by the look of the younger turtle's length that he barely had time to brace himself for the hot ring of flesh that began to slide down his dick. He gasped and grabbed Mikey's thighs.

"M-M-Mikey!" He tried to form words to warn the younger about prepping himself, but Mikey's lips caught his own in a soft kiss, silencing him effectively.

"Oh, calm down. I'll be careful, I promise." Leo wanted to whimper at how helpless he felt under Mikey, but he still had some pride. He bit his lip as Mikey slowly lowered himself, making sure to wait until he was adjusted before he continued down. Soon he was all the way down and he settled his knees by Leo's side in the ground. Leo wiggled a little to get in a more comfortable position on his shell.

Mikey began to raise and lower, his hands planted on Leo's chest to help with his leverage, "Ohh, I-I've n-never ridden Raphie. H-he'd always b-be on top." Mikey closed his eyes and leaned forward a bit more to try and use Leo's length to strike his own prostate. He just couldn't get it at the right angle, but it still felt great to him.

"W-What exactly made you ch-change your mind about t-topping?" Leo panted out with his hands on Mikey's hips. He had spread his legs and began to try and push into Mikey, hoping to hit his prostate for him.

"Well, what I said before and..." Mikey bit his lip and tightened a little as he felt Leo hit his most sensitive spot, "and yo-you seem to-to be great at t-topping. Donnie says he doesn't top of-often."

Leo grunted and shifted his hips again, making sure he thrust at just the right angle, "How'd you g-get him to t-talk about our sex life? He's alw-ways so private a-about it." Leo groaned and closed his eyes. Mikey had begun to tighten, a sure indicator that he was about to orgasm, and was about to bring Leo to completion as well. Mikey turned and pushed his head into the side of Leo's neck as Leo pushed his hips up hard and into Mikey's.

They both came together, clinging to each other tightly as they tried to catch their breaths from the physical exertion. They laid there in near silence for a while, Leo almost fell asleep, but Mikey sat up and stared at him. Leo blinked up at him and rose his eyebrows.

"Yes?" Leo stared into his light blue eyes, curious as to why he just decided to stare at him.

"Dude...what would we be like now? I mean me, you, Donnie and Raphie? There won't be any jealousy and stuff like that right? I mean I know we aren't too monogamous, but most turtles still like to have one mate..." Leo nodded as he listened to Mikey.

"Well Donnie has never been the jealous type and if Raph was, then he probably would've knocked my lights out when I kissed you the first time this morning, remember?" Mikey nodded and wiggled a little on top of him, "So I don't think there's gonna be too much problem. Just gotta talk through some things."

"Well what about you?" Leo rose his eyebrows, never really having thought about it. He didn't have a problem sharing. Why would he get jealous, but then again sometimes people change. He sighed and shook his head.

"I won't. Like I said, we just have to talk through somethings." Leo looked at Mikey, watching as he slowly stood and stretched. Leo took a few moments before he got up to pull on his own clothing, "Wanna go to the springs before heading back? Give Raph a bit more time with Donnie?"

Mikey grinned, showing off his bright smile yet again, "Uh, yeah! Besides, I'm not done with you..." Mikey pressed his lips to Leo's before taking off through the woods, "Race ya!!"

Leo knew he was in trouble because Mikey was the fastest of them four, but he couldn't resist accepting the childish challenge. He grinned and took off after the younger, enjoying the carefree feeling Mikey's laughter left him with. Once he was there, Mikey basically tackled him again and dragged him to the springs. There, Mikey managed to get him worked up enough to mate the youngster a few more times. Then, with the little energy they had left, they returned to the cabin to find Donnie and Raph entertaining Master Splinter.

"Why is he here?" Mikey whispered to Leo as they smiled at the three at the table.

"He's here to judge whether or not you're ready to enter the next part of your training..."


	23. Chapter 23

Everyone sat around the kitchen table in silence. The few weeks they've spent up in the mountains has changed all of them. Raphael was no where near subtle with the fact he's sexually involved with Donnie and didn't miss the opportunity to pinch his tail whenever he walked by. Although, being quite wary of the visitor, he kept the small shows of affection out of his line of sight.

Mikey wasn't too quiet with his new playmate either. Mikey was the ever energetic and whenever Splinter's attention was on Donnie or Raphael, he would reach out to Leo's lap beside him and gently run his hand across his thigh, causing the Leader's breathing to hitch. Then Mikey would sit up and continue eating as though he had done nothing, but Leo would glare at the side of his head hard enough for Donnie and Raphael to know what was going on.

"So, how have the students been these few weeks up here?" Splinter asked as he slowly took a sip of his tea that Donnie made for him. It was after dinner and everyone was just sitting around. If Splinter wasn't there, they would've probably shared silly stories or even speak of their new found relationship with each other. Now they were just silent, waiting for Splinter to start a conversation about anything he wanted to speak about. He just so happened wanted to speak about them.

"Oh, they've been quite well. Just a few days of discipline and they quickly adapted to becoming ninjas." Leo smiled, quickly tossing Raph a sideways glance at the mention of discipline, but mostly keeping his eyes on Splinter. 

"That's wonderful. I don't need to be told that Mr. Raphael must be the one with the disciplinary experience." Splinter tossed the large terrapin a smile to let him know that he was only teasing. Donnie's chuckle was probably the only thing to keep Raphael from growing angry. He just offered the old rat a small smile.

"So, Leonardo, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to speak with you alone about how we shall test your students. I'm sure you'll be able to come up with something original and fun for all involved." Splinter's beady eyes sparkled, letting Mikey and Raphael know that he was merely an old rat who was just like them, humorous and kind. Mikey smiled at him, a bright and welcoming smile, as he finally felt at ease with him.

Leo nodded and moved to grab the pot of tea as well as another cup, "If you do not mind, we should move to one of the empty rooms. I'm sure Don, Mikey, and Raph will be fine alone for the next few hours." Leo tossed a glance back at them to see a nod from each of them. Splinter got up with his cup in his hand to follow Leo.

"Of course." They disappeared down the hall, leaving the three other terrapins alone.

"So, what's that all about?" Mikey looked over to Don who started to clear the table after swatting away Raph's hand again.

"They're going to discuss your skills and potential and various ways they can both challenge you two to show your ability to advance to the next level of your training."

"Yeah? What did they do to you when you came up here?" Raphael asked, leaning on the back of his chair and taking in the view of Donnie bent to pick up a fallen piece of silverware. Mikey giggled at the little display.

"Well, my challenge was of more endurance than anything, which was weird to me since I had no problem with running for long periods of time, but I soon figured out that the challenge was to see if I could overcome my weaknesses. My weakness was staying still for a while and focusing at the task at hand. So the challenge presented to me was to hide in the forest, ignore any and everything, remain silent and hidden, and last until dawn all while the two best ninjas in Atlantica were searching for me. It took me two weeks." Donnie chuckled as he remembered the nights he spent hidden in a little alcove of a tree trying hard to ignore the various, terrifying sounds of the woods around him. He wanted nothing more than to hightail it back Leo's arms. "I now know that it was more to get over some fears than anything else. I was absolutely terrified of the dark and being alone when I was younger. Fear is still there, but I have more confidence to get over it."

Donnie had sat back down and gently patted the chair with his tail as Mikey tapped his chin, "So, our challenge would be something that would challenge our abilities to overcome our weaknesses?" 

Donnie nodded as he swatted Raph's hand on his lap again, "So, what do you think our challenge will be about?"

The doctor shrugged at Raph's question as he tried to figure it out himself, "I honestly don't know. I know one of your first problems was with authority and trusting others, then I know Mikey's is focusing and staying still, so coming up with a challenge that works on both of you at the same time might be a bit of a challenge for the masters themselves."

MIkey sighed and fell forward on the table, looking at Raph. He stared right into his golden eyes and smiled, "I just realized we haven't spent too much time together lately." 

Raph blinked and immediately felt bad, " 'M sorry." 

Mikey shook his head, "Don't be. I was just observing how much I missed your warm gaze on me." Mikey winked at Raph, making the latter chuckle warmly. Donnie watched the two interact, a small smile on his face. He didn't think that sharing would be a problem. He kinda like watching Mikey flirt with someone other than him.

Their conversation drifted as Raphael and Mikey flirted with each other and Donnie, who mostly kept quiet. He would smirk at the teases and swat Raph's hand away every now and then. If he did speak, it was to add to whatever the two younger turtles were talking about. Soon, Mikey started to yawn, "Man...I wish Leo would hurry up. I'm sure you two wanna snuggle tonight and I can't exactly sleep without someone next to me anymore."

Donnie blinked and shook his head, "No, it's fine. You two go to sleep. I'm more of a night owl so waiting for Leo won't be a problem for me."

"Aww, but I don't wanna leave you alone in here." Mikey whined a little, "Besides, Raphie had a chance to play with you so far and I haven't. It's not fair, I tell you!" Mikey grinned as he said the last few works. Donnie just blushed and shrugged. Raph smirked from his seat.

"We could always curl up in that big bed Donnie and Leo share and wait for ol' Leader to come to bed." Don blinked at Raph and nodded as he stood and stretched.

"Alright, but I wanna be in the middle! I'm not falling off the bed again!" Mikey chirped as he rushed to the room he only been in whenever he had to wake Donnie up. Raph chuckled and grabbed Donnie's hand as they followed the younger, more energetic turtle down the hall.

"I hope you don't mind. And don't try to avoid him. He may seem like he's fine with sharing me, but he'll want a little payment for playing the good little turtle." Raph pinched his tail again before walking in an whistling at the size of the bed, "Jees, this one is about the size of the one at home. What's with you two and big beds?" 

Donnie sighed as he recovered from what Raph said to him in the hallway. He wasn't trying to avoid Mikey, he just didn't want to hurt the little terrapin. He was so sweet and, even though he had seen him being mated before, he still tried to keep himself contained around the youngster, "Well since it's tradition for the Leader to have at least 3 life partners and most of the time they are mates, the beds are made big enough for all four of them to sleep in the same bed. Another bonding thing that came from way back when." 

Mikey curled up in one little spot before stretching again, "There's enough room to keep me from falling off again!" Raph just chuckled and slid in next to him, wrapping an arm around him shoulders. Donnie got on the other side of the younger before blowing out the candle in the corner of the room. He curled up with his eyes closed and was just about to fall asleep before he felt Mikey wrap himself around his shell and cuddle up to him.

Raphael smirked as he felt Mikey leave his side and wrap around Don before he settled into his own spot, waiting for Leo to wrap him up in his own strong arms. A few hours later and the Leader made an appearance. He obviously thought his bed was only inhabited by one turtle, but finding three only made him grin. Donnie and Mikey were wrapped together, snoring soundly, and Raph had his head on his bent arm, his eyes mere slits as he smiled sleepily at Leo.

"Hey you. 'Bout time you decided to come to bed..." Raph trailed off in a yawn as Leo came in and started to strip out of his gear.

"Sorry, didn't know I had someone waiting on me. Nice to see you all getting along though." Once Leo was done and 'naked' he slid into the bed next to Raph, letting himself be engulfed by strong arms and his warm masculinity. 

"Yeah, we're all just peachy. So, about that challenge--"

"You'll learn about it tomorrow, Mr. Raphael." Leo said, his voice quiet as his eyes drifted closed and his breathing slowed, "I have complete faith in you two to pass it, so don't even worry about it." 

Raphael smiled and nuzzled into the back of his neck, "You better..." The churr he emitted was surprisingly met with three different pitched churrs. He smiled, glad that even in their comatose state, he knew they cared enough to let him know they were just as happy with this as he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English Homework went ignored. I love you all more than that evil, short woman! Oh, well... :3 <3


	24. Chapter 24

It was early morning and everyone had just left the cabin for their morning run. Leo and Donnie were possibly more nervous than their students, who seemed to just not care. They were too busy trying to flirt with the teachers. 

"Hey, Leo. Mind if we go to the springs before we get back to the cabin? I'm feeling kinda frisky." Raphael's deep rumble of a chuckle sent a chill up Donnie's and Leo's spine, but they tried their best to keep their heads about them. Today was the first day of their challenge after all.

"As appealing as that sounds, Mr. Eloquent, we have to get back and try to get your hours of meditation out of the way before we begin." Leo swatted back at Raph's hand that had found a great grip on his rear end through his cloth he wore that morning.

Donnie whimpered a little, "Not even for a quick romp?" Donnie had been quite eager to get his turn with Michelangelo and having a turtle with such stamina such as Raphael around wasn't so bad either. He was sure they could come up with some kind of position that would satisfy all of their needs.

"Donatello, please do not encourage them. How about this? We'll head back to the springs once they BOTH complete the challenge Master Splinter and I have lined out. Until then, not even a kiss for either." Leo reprimanded as he rounded a turn on the trail.

Mikey whined, "Not fair! I didn't even suggest going to the springs! Why do I have to suffer as well?!" Michelangelo pouted a little as he followed in behind Donnie. He loved kisses and cuddles from everyone, since he was an exceptionally affectionate turtle, but being denied such pleasures had him whining.

"Sorry, Mikey. From now on, we're a team. We sink or swim as a team. I believe that the motivation of getting another kiss or cuddle from either of us--"

"Or each other." Donnie looked back. He was upset at the little punishment that left him without Raph's strong hands or Mikey's cute advances, but he wanted Leo to know if they were to suffer, he would too. Leo merely stared at him before sighing.

"Or each other, will help you two strive to be the best possible ninja you two can be later on tonight."

"Oh, so our challenge takes place tonight, does it?" Raphael asked. He seemed undeterred by the fact that he wouldn't be able to touch or be intimate with the other three terrapins around him at the moment, despite the extreme want he had to jump all of them.

Leo winced, but it wasn't noticeable by anyone except Donnie who knew his mate well, "Yes." Leo shut himself off from the rest of the run's conversation to try and keep anymore information about the challenge quiet. He knew he might earn a little flack from Master Splinter after this slip.

Donnie, Raph and Mikey let their conversation drift a little as they continued through their little morning run before they made their way back to the cabin. Leo sat them around the post used for the hashi and sat down with them.

"Alright. Let's get this over with so we can do a little sparring and then we'll waiting until dusk." Leo sighed and sat down, facing all three of his mates, "Let's begin." He closed his eyes, but his minds eye could see everything. Even Mikey knew that so he refrained from reaching over to pull on Donnie's tail, despite the overwhelming feeling that he had to.

Everyone took deep breaths in time with each other and soon they were all meditating. Mikey, of course, didn't last long with the meditation and immediately began fidgeting all over the place.

Leo gently called his name, "Mikey...please..." Michelangelo bit his lip and got still, but not completely still. Leo accepted the little victory of getting Mikey to at least try to stay still.

Raphael had a lot better resolve than the youngster, but he still couldn't stay still for too long. He reached over behind Mikey about an hour and a half later and pulled on Donnie's tail. Not seeing him react, he started to stroke it, noticing the slight change in breathing. That encouraged him to continue teasing the poor doctor.

"Raphael..." Leo's warning voice warned the large terrapin that despite his eyes were closed, Leo saw everything, "You have half an hour left. Please leave Donatello's tail alone. Besides, everyone is prohibited from intimacy for the time being until the challenge is completed and Michelangelo and Raphael have clearance from Master Splinter to continue their training."

Raphael let a little growl of frustration leave him, but he wasn't about to get in trouble right before the big challenge. He wanted to have the energy to do whatever he needed later on tonight and he didn't want to spend all the time from now til the challenge standing in the Ha'shi until then.

"Yes, Sensei." Leo let a small, almost invisible smile show as Raphael addressed him in a respectful manner despite the growl. The next half an hour flew by quite smoothly. Leo stood as soon as it was over, "Alright, everyone. I was thinking that instead of sparring and wearing down your energy, we just relax until the challenge." Mikey's little whoop made him chuckle at the younger's enthusiasm at having a free practice.

"Ohh! Can we go to the springs?!!" Mikey was just bouncing with energy.

Leo sighed, "Mikey, you kno--"

"Oh, we don't have to get all flirty and stuff!" Mikey grumped against his will, "But I do wanna go swimming and the hot water feels so good!" Mikey began to put on his trademark puppydog eyes, something Leo haven't had the opportunity to establish a defense for. Leo stared at the adorably big eyes and poked out bottom lip before sighing.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but ask the oth--"

"Oh we'll go too, oh Fearless Leader." Raphael smirked as Leo tossed him an exasperated glance. Don smirked and started walking towards the house to get towels and stuff while MIkey whooped.

~~~~~~

Mikey groaned as he slipped down almost all the way under the water. Leo had settled on his usual boulder and tried to bask despite the slight winter breeze. Donnie was leaning against the boulder for support as he tried to snooze a bit. Raphael, the one with the most energy at the moment, was swimming around in the warm water. He soon yawned and settled down beside Mikey, pulling the youngster into his side and looking over at Leo and Donnie.

Leo had relinquished the warmth of the sun for the warmth of the springs and slid down to sit with a dozing Donnie. He smiled and gently pulled him into his arms, "Could never stay awake here..." Leo gently kissed his forehead and leaned against the boulder.

"So, Mr. Leader, tell me about yourself." Leo blinked at Raph's request before shrugging.

"You pretty much know me. What're you talking about?"

Raph sighed, "I mean before you became Leader and all that jazz. Like your childhood, parents, siblings and things like that. I know you didn't go to school." He started to pull Mikey to where they were sitting next to the pair leaning against the boulder. Mikey looked at Don an smiled, thinking he should do the same.

Leo rose an eyebrow before shrugging, "I was born 20 years ago, up here in that cabin, the last turtle to be born into the Leader's clan. Well, until one of my siblings have one or I adopt, anyway. I don't exactly see myself mating with a female any time soon." Leo smirked at Raph, who smirked back.

"My father was a kind man, very stern and he did everything because it had the potential to help someone else. That's how I try to live. My mother was sweet. She spoiled me regularly with sweet rolls she baked herself. It's the same recipe that my sister uses for the bakery." 

Raph nodded and chuckled, "Yeah, they are great."

"My other fathers, the ones that didn't impregnate my mother with me, were probably the best polar opposites ever. One would laugh and tell dirty jokes, the other would be quiet and try to teach you. They were both important to show me that I should never let anything get me down, but I should never stop learning either."

Mikey moved to Leo's side and tucked his head under his chin, "And your sisters and brothers?" Leo smirked.

"Well, I'm nowhere near being the only child. 8 children, me being the last, made the entire household a very busy one. My eldest bother, Leon, is the chicken farmer, Elise, my eldest sister, is a traveler, she tells us of the various jobs and things she's seen on her travels whenever she returns. Then there's Elizabeth, she's the butcher's mate." Leo rolled his eyes a bit before continuing, "That man bullied me relentlessly when I was younger."

Mikey snickered a bit. "Lisa, the baker, is the blacksmith's wife. He talks too much. Jonathon is the vegetable farmer and possibly one of my closest siblings. Joshua is the blacksmith's apprentice. My slightly older brother, Jake, is apart of the Warriors, and then there's me. I was so spoiled, I won't even try to deny it, but I was no more spoiled than my two older brothers. Everyone had to agree with me." Leo chuckled a little.

"And how did you become Leader? You're the youngest and spoiled, as you said yourself, then how did you possibly out shine your eldest brother to become Leader?" Raph watched him closely. He hasn't been this enthralled with a person since he was young and used to look up to his father.

"Well, that was entirely my father's idea. He thought my other brothers were too biased and illogical. He thought my sisters a little too submissive and more likely to turn a blind eye to problems. See, when I was about ten and someone stole a toy of mine. I was angry of course, but I was more determined to settle it in a civilized manner. I went around, asking if they've seen it. Maybe I just lost it. Turns out Joshua took it. He was all mad and geared up to fight me, which most definitely wouldn't be the first time of us fighting, but I just told him he could have the toy if he wanted it so badly. I'd just ask for another that way we both would have a toy and there would be no hard feelings.

"When I went to my father and told him of the situation as well ask for a replacement toy, he told me that not only would he get me a toy, but he wanted me to go see the Elder. I didn't know what the hell the Elder wanted with me, so I was quite terrified. When I went to see him, he told me that I was to begin training on ninjutsu with him as soon as possible. A month after a time in the mountains with Master Splinter, I got my first pair of katana."

Leo smiled down at a wide eyed Mikey, who was smiling with the brightest smile he's seen from him in a while, "Woooowww! Who would've thought? All over a toy?" 

Raphael chuckled and nodded as he floated on his back, "Yeah, that was kinda shocking fearless."

Leo nodded to him, "Your turn." Raph blinked at him, staring before sitting up the water. 

"Alright."


	25. Chapter 25

"Well...where do I start?" Raph sat beside Leo where they were all leaning against the boulder and stared at the trees. He always liked nature and trees. Probably why he was captured so easily so long ago.

"Start were I did. Birth." The little bit of sarcasm made Raph glare softly at Leo, who just grinned back at him. Raphael rolled his eyes before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Donnie had since woken up and started to listen to the little story telling.

"Well I was born on the outskirts of Terrata when my mother and father went on a little trip out to visit my grandparents, my mother's parents, in Atlantica. On their way back is when it happened or so they told me." Raph shrugged, "Anyway, I was taken back to Terrata and I began life there. I was an only child and had a big home to myself. I got to wander and get into a whole lot of shit."

Raphael chuckled as he remembered on prank he played on the local farmer that later got him a spanking, "Yeah, I used to get into a whole world of trouble, but sometimes the laughs would make it worthwhile."

Michelangelo chuckled as his own imagination ran wild with the idea of a little Raphie running around and causing mayhem in the small subtribe. Mikey moved to stretch out in all of their laps, his head closest to Raph so he could hear the rest of the story.

"As I grew, I became more and more destructive with my little pranks, soon ending me up in trouble with the Head Warrior of our tribe. He beat the absolute shit out of me, but I did kinda deserve it. I set one of the barracks that held his troops on fire."

Leo sucked in a sharp inhale letting Raphael know that he had surprised the Leader, but shook his head, "Yeah, yeah, I was a little pyromaniac, but no one was in there. I made sure to wait until everyone had left. I don't know what made me think it would be funny, but I did it. And I totally regret it now. Although, I do not regret the consequences."

"And those were?"  Leo inquired gently from his spot. They had moved into a pile of warmth all gathered around Raph. Leo was to his right, tucked under his arm, Mikey situated on his lap, and Donnie was tucked under his other arm.

"To repay the debt of burning down one of the barracks I was to either enter into the training of being a warrior and fight for him or rebuild it. My father chose the warrior training hoping it would straighten me out. I was okay for a bit, being defiant and cocky, but after one ass kicking too many, I began to straighten out and follow orders. I actually found fighting and protecting others to be my passion. I was there from age 12 til age 19, which was when I sorta graduated. As I was going to visit my parents in Atlantica, I was captured and taken slave by those stupid humans."

Raphael's growl vibrated the water and made the other turtles shiver a little in the sheer power in his growl alone. It ended up turning them on so they had to move away to keep their heads about them.

Mikey grinned and wiggled, "Donnie's turn!" The terrapin in question blinked and shook his head before Raph grabbed him up and pushed him into Raph's lap, in between his chest and Michelangelo.

"C'mon, Doc, you promised me." Raphael gently squeezed Don's sides, kneading them with his finger gently. Donnie pouted a little before nodding, knowing full well he couldn't go back on his promise.

"Well, uh...I was born in Atlantica...as well. And I was a bit of a introverted child. I didn't like to go out and play much. I liked to stay inside and learn whatever I could from my father. He was a wonderful inventor and he taught me to build old and new things as well as innovated a few things around the house. He taught me about medicine and herbs and how to take care of people. My mother was very sweet and nice. She spoiled me rotten, but as soon as I noticed I was a little too demanding as a child, I tried to stop it, making her try and spoil me more."

Leo and Raph chuckled as they tried to picture a little demanding Donatello. It was exceptionally hard since now Donnie would give away his very shell if it meant he could keep someone else happy or at least content.

"Then what happened?" Mikey had leaned forward and was resting in Donnie's lap as he listened to him.

"Well, uh...my father died." Don's voice was strained. Leo didn't get a chance to meet Don's folks as when he started dating him Donnie told him that he lived alone. Leo never tried to pry into his past, so this was new.

"'M sorry, Donnie." Mikey whispered as he held the doctor's hand tightly under the warm water. Donnie shook his head and smiled down at him.

"Don't have to be. With all that he taught me I was able to become the doctor that I am today."

"What happened to your mother?" Raph asked as he ran his hands up and down Don's sides. He felt Don stiffen and blinked as he realized he hit a bit of a sore spot.

"After my father's death, she became...very sick. Sick past even what my father taught me. She died a month after him and I was sent to live with my grandmother, my father's mother. She was a very evil woman." Don had begin to shake with his slightly controlled anger, but feeling Raph's fingers tighten around him, he calmed down a bit, "She was exceptionally abusive and as soon as I was allowed to go on The Trek, I worked hard to bring in a sizable kill so I could get out of her home for a while. I didn't mean to get mated with the Leader."

Leo smirked as he saw Don toss him a sideways glance, "But you did."

"And now I don't deal with her. If I see her, I keep walking. I can forgive her, but I will never place myself or anyone I care about in her line of fire. So, no, you can't go meet her." He aimed the last part at Leo, but he spoke to all of them. He could feel their tension as he talked about his abusive grandmother and he knew Raphael might not be able to control himself if he indeed met the woman.

"So, is it Mikey's turn?" Don asked with a bit of a smile in his voice. The turtle mentioned gasped and shook his head.

"Nu-uh! He didn't tell about how he and Leo got together!" Raph chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, that did leave a big whole in between then and today."

Don scowled at the younger and sighed, "Fine. I was amongst his first group of young turtles he was to take on the Trek. After I brought back one sizable buck, he took me to Elder to see if he could train me. After getting Master Splinter's blessing, he brought me up here to train. It took about a month and a half and through it all he never...stopped...flirting..."

Mikey fell out into a fit of giggles as Leo reddened a little, "That's so hard to believe!"

"Well he was still in the middle of puberty so teenage hormones were working a number on him, and myself, but jeez. Every single turn." Raphael was chuckling now.

"Well then. How old were you at the time?"

"Just 17. He was 19. Just imagine the night before Splinter came up here." Don rolled his eyes and smirked at an even redder faced Leo. Leo glanced away to hide his embarrassment as Mikey continued to giggle.

"Dude. You were my age! That's so funny. I wonder what kind of flirts he was giving out." Mikey grinned over at Leo as the Leader's eyes went big. 

"Oh, no, Don, don't!"

"'Oh, you sure are flexible''' Donnie smirked as Mikey and Raph's eyes went big.

"Oh, no...that was so stupid!" Leo rubbed his face in shame.

"'Bet you're sweeter than this sugar'" Donnie wiggled his eye ridges as Leo groaned at the corniness of the teenage flirting he had done.

"No, no, no. That was soooo stupid!" Leo looked at Don with a bit of a pleading look.

"And best of all--"

"Oh, no, not that one! I was a hormonal teenage turtle! Gimme some slack!" The other flirts had the Mikey and Raph falling out laughing, but he was sure the next one was going to have them holding their sides and crying.

"'Woah, you got me harder than even the most advanced katas.'" Don smirked as Leo groaned and slid under the water to muffle at least some of the howling laughter that came from the two other turtles.

"Dude that was like the corniest flirts ever!" Mikey giggled between breaths. Raphael held his sides as he looked down at Leo as he came back up.

"But they worked." Leo quipped as he tried to mend a bit of his broken pride.

Donnie nodded and sighed as he leaned over to peck Leo's nose, "Yeah, they did, so don't be too embarrassed." Don smiled and got up to swim to the edge of the springs, "C'mon. It's almost dusk and you two have a challenge to complete tonight."

Mikey was still giggling at the silly flirting as he followed Raph to the edge of the pool. Leo was last to get out since he was still a little upset that Donnie put him out like that, but he couldn't help but smile. He knew they weren't laughing to be mean. He chuckled and sighed, "Well I did bring it on myself. Might as well deal with it. But they were funny." He chuckled to himself as he followed the other turtles down the hill and back to the cabin.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. I'm doing this really rad fashion show and my kimono was calling my NAME!!! :3 hope I win! wish me luck!!! :D Here's your darn chapter!

He noticed it. The slightly agitated twitch of the tail as he bounced along the trail towards the cabin. He laughed and jogged as he tried to appear normal, but Leo knew. He knew that Mikey was hiding his past for a reason. Either he didn't want to relive those horrible events or he just didn't want to share that part of his life with them. Hell, he wouldn't either. If his life was horrible before, why would he go and bitch about it, seeming like he was just an attention whore.

Leo didn't think that of Mikey, well, sometimes, but not about this. It's his past. Apart of his story and fate which will ultimately lead into his future. Why try to bury and ignore it? Leo knew better than anyone that opening up and talking about his problems was sometimes the best idea. He'd just have to figure out a way to make the young turtle open up to him. If not him, then Donnie. Leo stared at Mikey's agile form as he was lost in his own thought processes. He barely even registered the fact that they had made it to the cabin to find Master Splinter standing outside.

"Evening! Michelangelo, Raphael. I hope you two are ready for your challenge. I will not let up on you two because you two are beginners. The art of blending in the shadows and remaining unseen and undetected is the most basic of ninjutsu training. Tonight, Leonardo and I will search for you in the woods."

Raphael chuckled a little and looked at Don, "Sounds easy enough."

Master Splinter smirked and nodded, "Yes, of course, but here's the challenge. Both of you have weaknesses. Michelangelo, I know you have a small problem with focusing although you are quite clever. Your personal challenge for tonight is to remain moving at all times."

Mikey's eyes went a little wide at the idea of having to keep moving and keep his focus on the task at hand. He could do it, but there are always some cool things to find or mess with in the woods. He whimpered a little, but nodded to the elderly rat.

"And me?" Raphael's gruff voice drew the Elder's attention who just smiled at him and nodded.

"Ah, yes. The ever hotheaded one. Your temper may be the end of you yet, but I have faith in you. I noticed that you have an offensive nature. You'd rather get your opponent before they get you. Well, Mr. Raphael, your personal challenge for tonight is to remain defensive. You must put all your skill that you've learned of blending into the shadows and retreats to win tonight.

"You fight either myself or Leonardo and you forfeit the challenge and must return to the cabin tonight. Michelangelo, you are free to fight, but if you yield to Leonardo or I then you too must return to the cabin."

The two students nodded and bowed to the Elder in a show of respect. Don moved to sit on the grass in front of the cabin door and watched as Leo went to stand beside Master Splinter. Mikey and Raph stood on the edge of the woods, waiting for the signal from the Master to move out and begin.

"Oh, and students?" Raphael and Mikey turned to look at their teachers. " Do not come back to the cabin. This is not a game of 'Base.' You must stay in the woods until dawn and then hightail it back to the cabin before either of us catches you. Also, it's every turtle for themselves. No working together, but you may throw the other under the bull, so to speak." Master Splinter smiled warmly, clearly enjoying the wary glances the students tossed each other.

Master Splinter looked off into the distance of the setting sun, waiting until the ground was covered in more shadows than sunlight. It'd be unfair if they had no shadows to use. Once he judged it dark enough he turned towards the students, "Go!"

Michelangelo and Raphael took off on a hard sprint. Raph felt his stomach flip and turn as he thought of the fact that he'd have to try and stay in one spot for the rest of the night. Either that or run and if either of the masters even saw him, he'd be done. He set his mouth in a thin determined line. He was not about to lose.

Michelangelo's mind was racing. He is a happy go lucky turtle who never let his smile fade, but this was serious. He's wanted to be a ninja ever since he knew what the word meant. The want only intensified over the years of abuse. He wanted so badly to be able to protect himself and his loved ones. He knew ninjutsu could never be used for vengeance, but that didn't mean he wanted to be unprepared for the next time someone or something posed a threat to him or his family.

Donatello sat back and watched as Master Splinter and Leo stared into the forest. Faint sounds of crashing and running ninjas reached his ears. He knew they were quite nervous so the fact they weren't being silent wasn't registering. He knew Raphael was more worried about trying to find a hiding spot instead of covering his tracks. Donnie shook his head a little as he knew Raph may be the first caught.

Michelangelo was being a little smarter though. His noises stopped about ten feet into the woods, just as soon as he disappeared and he hasn't made an appearance in any shape or form. Mikey was being smart about the basics of ninjutsu, but hopefully he can hold his own in a fight if the masters were to encounter him.

Leo stared into the woods five minutes later, as silent as he had always been. A minute later, Master Splinter joined him in the hunt. The game was on and the sun was completely down. Clouds blocked out the moon so it was pitch dark. Donnie stared into the woods, catching brief glimpses of fast shadows as the game of cat and mouse played out in front of him. 

Leo slowly slid around the thick trunk of a tree, his ears alerting him to near silent breathing. He moved around more, noticing a small huddled mass in the bushes. He saw the shell reach up over hunched shoulders. He could tell Raphael was having a problem staying as still as he was because he picked up a blade of grass and tore it up before grabbing another.

Leo smirked a little before he picked up a rock and tossed it to the side of the bushes that was opposite him. He was sure it would send Raphael running towards him.

A second later, his plan worked and Raph shot out of the bushes, his speed damn near surprising Leonardo as Leo jumped out an tackled Raph. Raphael landed with a loud 'oof!' and tried to roll and wiggle away, but Leo pinned him.

"Ha! Now you know how it feels to be tackled!" Leo chuckled a little as he held Raph's wrist tightly to his shell, "Do you submit?" Leo's husky voice and warm breath brushing against the back of his neck made Raph shiver. He growled and struggled a little more, but soon sighed and went limp.

"I yield." The submission was so small and quiet that Leo almost asked for him to repeat it. Leo nodded and gently kissed the back of Raph's neck and backing off.

"Go back to the cabin and keep Don company." And with that, Leo was gone. Raph jumped up and looked around, wondering just how the hell Leo could manage invisibility so easily. Raphael huffed and turned to head back to the cabin, not caring if he made noise anymore.

Michelangelo proved to be quite the challenge, however. The youngster was indeed quite smart and he didn't spare any expense on his flight from the cabin earlier. Leo had stalked Mikey in the wood before, but now that it was pitch black it was even worse.

Leo thought he was on his trail after seeing a broken bush branch, but he seemed to have been led on yet another wild goose chase. Leo continued to wander around silently in the blackness, hoping he happened upon some kind of trail of the youngster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However, the older more experienced ninja had been on his trail for a while  now. He watched with fascination as the same little turtle that seemed to infuriate the hothead by beating him in a sparring match all while maintaining a smile, was now cowered into a small concave of a tree. He had his face pushed into his knees, his shoulders gently rocking. He was about to jump down and try to console little Mikey, but he sensed Leo's presence nearby. He decided to sit by and wait for the elder turtle to find the little one.

Once Leo came through the brush silently, he prepared to fight the younger, but finding Mikey curl into himself more had him staring at him in surprise. He moved closer cautiously, but as soon as he heard sniffles that sounded all too real, he rushed forward to hold Mikey close.

"Oh, baby, what's wrong?" His voice was like warm sweet milk. Mikey melted against him and just sobbed.

"Oh, Leo! I don't wanna remember!" Mikey cried into his neck as he seemed to try and climb into Leo's shell with him. Leo just settled back onto his bottom against the tree and held him tightly, rocking back and forth to help calm him. He gently pressed his mouth to Mikey's forehead and held him, trying to shush his crying. Once Mikey seemed calm enough to speak Leo urged him again.

"Mikey...what's wrong?" Leo nuzzled Michelangelo once he felt the younger stiffen in his hold.

"R-remember when we were all going on a-about our pasts? I really don't like mine..." Mikey closed his eyes and pushed his face further into the crook of Leo's neck.

"Well I wouldn't want to push you to do anything you don't want to do, but maybe talking about it will help..." Leo made sure his voice didn't sound like it was commanding. He wanted to help his young mate remain calm.

"I don't know, Leo...what if you and Don and Raphie don't like me anymore?" Mikey sniffed again as the waterworks started again. Leo sensed the heavier sobs that were about to come and shushed him.

"What the hell are you talking about? We all love you and only want to make you happy. There is nothing that can change that." Leo's voice grew strained as his mind began to conjure up so many different scenarios. Half of them were impossible, but that didn't make them any less terrifying.

"That's what you say!" Mikey's outburst made Leo jump and stare down at him. Mikey's eyes were wide with fear and anger. "I was separated from my little sister and mother at a young age. My mother was sold to another person when me and my sister were taken by the slave traders. I watched one of them rape and kill her! And I didn't do shit!" 

Michelangelo had stood up and started to pace in front of Leo as he yelled out his heart to him. All the things that were bottled inside and tearing at him were now streaming out of his mouth as words and eyes as tears. Leo just watched in astonishment. He didn't want to stop the revelation for fear of Mikey breaking down, but he had to stand and be ready if Mikey were about to run. He knew he was hurting and might do something to hurt himself.

"You can't tell me that you don't hate me now!"

"I don't! I still love you!" Michelangelo stared at Leo. His breath was coming in harsh pants as he tried to calm the adrenaline that was streaming through his veins. 

"Why? I am weak and a coward--"

"You were young and scared and confused! I wouldn't know what the hell to do either. My main instinct would've been to survive. I understand--"

"You don't! I could've saved her! I could've given my life to save her--"

"And then what?!" Leo couldn't hold on to his anger anymore. The thought of Mikey martyring himself was too much. "Where would that leave her? Unprotected and scared, just like you were! What the hell made you think that if you died and took the fall that she would still be alive afterwards?! What happened was supposed to happen. And we cannot change Fate." 

Michelangelo opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. He couldn't figure out anything to say to Leo because his rational thoughts were screaming that he was right, "Maybe...perhaps...what if...I don't know, Leo... I just would've felt so much better if my mother hadn't blamed me for it..."

Leo nodded. He knew there must've been another driving force behind Mikey's guilt, "I thought she was sold to another person?" Leo didn't want him to wallow in the sadness, but continue through the story. He knew Mikey had to come to terms with his past.

"She was, but a few years later she was sold to another person who lived in the area that my master had lived in and we saw each other. She asked what happened to my sister and I told her. She beat me in the middle of the market place. The pain of that was far worse than any punishment I could receive from any master." Mikey stared at the ground were a streak of moonlight had broken through the clouds.

Leo sighed, "She was only hurting, just as you now are. She did the only thing she could, beat the messenger. It doesn't means she hates or hated you. She was in pain and needed to transfer that pain outwards. You just happen to be the bigger person because you are here, speaking to me about it instead of taking it out on others. That is another reason why I--we-- love you. Alright?"

Mikey stared at Leo before nodding and taking a deep, shuddering breath, "Yeah...Can we go home now? I'm sure this counts as a loss." Michelangelo's ability to bounce back with humor will never fail to surprise Leo.

Leo moved forward slowly and gently wrapped his arms around Mikey. He wasn't surprised to feel the youngster become dead weight in his arms. He bent and picked Mikey up and started back towards the cabin. He knew that he must've been exhausted from carrying around so much baggage. Now that it was gone, Michelangelo was in for a long, relaxing sleep.

Master Splinter smiled to himself as he watched the scene unfold in front of him and nodded at how well Leo handled the situation. He followed them to the cabin, contemplating whether or not to start planning the Coupling Ceremony. He could see that the four terrapins had managed to become extremely dependent on one another after such a short time.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My fashion show is tomorrow :3 writing this for good luck! Love you guys! Sorry it took me forever!

Leo felt for Mikey. He laid his head in his hand and propped up on his elbow as he watched the younger terrapin doze. He cancelled the day's workouts and run just for him. Mikey had been carrying a lot of emotional weight and he knew that it would take it's physically toll on him as well. He smiled a little and trace a finger down his shoulder, making Mikey shiver a little and push into Leo's chest. Leo smiled at him and looked up to see Don watching him. 

He smiled and mouthed silently, "How're you?" Donnie smiled and curled around Mikey's shell to gently grab Leo's hand. 

"I'm okay. How are you?" Leo smiled and moved to curl up more around Mikey more so he could get closer to Don.

"I'm alright." Feeling Leo move out of his arms, Raph grumbled and moved closer to wrap himself tighter around Leo again. Leo rolled his eyes, but smiled as he saw Donnie smirk.

" 'M hungry..." Raphael mumbled out as he let his hands travel up and down Leo's thighs. Leo shivered a little before smirking to Don who grinned.

"Well you are the only one who hasn't cooked for us yet..." Raph groaned and pushed his face into the back of Leo's shell. He wrapped his arms even tighter around his waist and pressed even closer.

"Mmmmmmmmm~! Nooooooo~!" Leo tried not to laugh out loud because he didn't want to make Raphael mad and have him pull away. It's just that he's never heard Raphael whine before. He knew Michelangelo would always whine whenever he didn't get what he wanted, but Raphael almost never let his childish side show. 

Leo sighed and closed his eyes as he savored the heat that radiated off of the hothead behind him. Mikey churred a little, drawing everyone's attention before he let his eyes drift open and look up at Leo's ocean blue eyes. He smiled and nuzzled into Leo's neck.

"Why are we just laying here? Shouldn't we be out on our morning run?" Leo smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, yes, but we are just going to laze around today. I just figured you need a good day to rest up before we try to do anything. You seemed to be quite exhausted." Mikey caught the underlying tone and nodded as he sighed and laid his head back down.

Don and Raph didn't miss it, but they figured that since they were all getting quite close, they'll learn of it soon. They just decided to let Mikey come to terms with whatever was bothering him. 

"Well, what do you wanna do all day?" Mikey asked, trying to redirect some of the focus. Leo sighed a little and wiggled back against Raph.

"Whatever you wanna do, actually. We can sleep, play around, go swimming at the hot springs, whatever you wanna do." Mikey blinked up at him before sitting up and smiled down at him.

"How about we 'play?'" None of the other turtles got what Mikey was hinting at, so Don just nodded before rolling on the bed to get out.

"Alright, we can go out to the orchard or som--"

"Nuuuuu!" Mikey whined as he grabbed Donnie by the lip of his shell and yanked him back in the bed. Don stared up at him with wide eyes as Mikey straddled him, "I mean  _plaaaayyy~_ " 

Leo rose his eyebrows as he watched Mikey start to grind down onto Donnie's crotch, "Oh..." Leo couldn't deny that the sight was really erotic. He turned on his stomach, his eyes locked on the display going on in front of him.

Raph wasn't ignoring the show either. He blinked before leaning forward to whisper in Leo's ear, "Oh, so that 'no sex' rule is gone now?" Seeing Leo nod, he smiled and started to grind his crotch against Leo's ass, feeling his little tail against the slit in his lower plastron. He grinned as soon as he heard the submissive chirp that came from Leo. He loved that little chirp. He pulled back to see Leo raise his hips and lift his tail.

"So I'm guessing we're performing for each other?" Mikey didn't try to be subtle about anything as he slid in between Don's legs and pressing them up to rest over his shoulders. Don was churring so much that the bed was vibrating. Soon, Leo's churr joined his as Raph raised his ass into the air and stroked his tail gently. Leo laid his chin on his hands so he could watch Donnie get turned out be the youngster. 

Mikey pressed forward and bending Don's legs towards his chest. Feeling so open and wanton, Don couldn't help but let his tail drop down. He wanted to grab Mikey's arms, but he was afraid of bruising him so he settled with pulling at the bed sheets. 

Raph bent forward and bit the lip of Leo's shell as he felt his dick start to push out of his shell. Raph rubbed the tip against Leo's anus, which caused the Leader to shiver and pull on the sheets and bite his lip. 

"Ohhh, Raph..." Raph smirked and sat back up before popping a finger in his mouth. After getting the digit good and wet, he would began prepping Leo.

While Raph was working on Leo, Leo got a front row seat to Mikey's seduction of Donnie. Mikey was slow and sensual. He let his churr vibrate across Don's pulse point, which caused the latter to shudder and groan. Michelangelo began to trail his tongue down Don's body, letting the air cool trail of warm saliva. The feeling caused goosebumps to rise on Don's skin. As Mikey's tongue traveled over Don's bulge before he dipped below the plastron. He traced the outside of Don's hole before taking his tail in between his lips.

Don gasped and shivered as his hips jerked. He bit his lip and turned his head to the side to watch Leo and Raph. Raph had finished prepping Leo, who was now panting and writhing with need on the bed.

"Oh, Raphie, please." Every turtle froze and stared at Don who started to blush, "Sorry...I've sorta...always wanted to watch..." Don closed his eyes and turned his face away as his face started to heat up. He was so embarrassed, causing Mikey to chuckle and lean up to kiss him.

"Oh, don't be embarrassed."

Raph let out a deep churr that made Don look over at him, "Yeah, you don't have anything to be embarrassed about. Don't worry, Doc. I'll put on a good show for you." The hungry look in Raph's face made Don flush. Leo reached across to grab and hold Don's hand, squeezing it gently.

Don churred louder as his eyes locked on to Leo's face. He wanted to see Raph make Leo cum. He was barely able to do so himself, but he had always been curious as to how Raphael was able to turn the Leader out. 

Michelangelo had moved back down his body and started to lick and trace Don's anus with his tongue. The weird warm feeling made Don squirm a little and his breathing quicken. Mikey gently probed his opening before pushing his thick tongue into Don and wiggled it around. Donnie's eyes fluttered as he moaned and opened his legs wider.

"Ohhh, Mikey that feels soo good!" Don's voice was riddled with churrs as he praised the younger. He raised his hips trying to get more of the delicious feeling inside him. It wasn't too far until Mikey's tongue played against his prostate and Don squeaked out at the sudden spark of pleasure at the base of his spine. He let out a long uninterrupted churr at the feeling.

It wasn't long before Leo's churring and moaning joined Don's. Raph had pushed into Leo, causing him to close his eyes, and started to slid in and out of him. His hands gripped and kneaded his ass cheeks. He growled and closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Leo's tightness around him.

Donnie watched as Leo's face scrunched up and his breathing began to falter. Soon, Mikey had enough saliva to lube Donnie up and began to use his finger to widen Donnie. Don moaned and pushed into his finger as much as he could. He sorely needed the friction as the sight of Leo being fucked was almost too much for him. His dick popped into the air, hard and dripping, and he let out a breath of relief.  As soon as Mikey saw it fall into the air he attacked it and began to suck and lick it.

Raph bent over Leo's shell as he watched Mikey prep and suck Donnie off. He started to speed up his thrusts, getting more than soft moans and churrs out of Leo. He reached underneath him to take care of his neglected cock. He gently stroked and thumbed it as he rocked into his ass. 

"Damn. Here I was thinking I was the one who was going to put on a show for you Donnie..." Raph panted out as he gripped Leo's hip. His thrusts sped up as soon as Mikey let his dick slip into Donnie. Donnie wasn't expecting it so he gasped and arched his back.

"Oh, damn!" His eyelids fluttered as his legs pulled Mikey deeper.

"Language, Donatello..." Leo reprimanded playfully. He grunted and pulled at the sheets as he tensed up. He look on his face gave away the fact that he was going to be the first one to cum. Raph didn't look to be too far behind either.

Mikey wasn't able to hold back. He began thrusting fast and hard as soon as he was inside Don, who didn't mind at all. He moaned and encouraged the rough treatment. Don grabbed and kneaded his ass which encouraged Mikey to go even faster.

Leo growled and bit the sheets as he came all over Raph's hand and the bed. Raph groaned and shivered as he started to cum into Leo. Raph panted and gently laid across Leo's carapace as they rode out their orgasmic high. They watched Mikey and Don as they laid there. Mikey panted and put his forehead to Don's as he shivered.

"Oh, Don. Ohhh, Donnie" He moaned out and arched his back as his eyes closed. Don shivered and tightened around him as he came. His cum streaked all over his and Mikey's plastron. He shivered and held on to Mikey tightly as the younger kept thrusting into him.

Leo and Raph churred as they watched the younger work himself into a frenzy. Pretty soon, he groaned out and came deep inside Don. He shook from the intense orgasm before gently laying on top of Don. 

The terrapins just laid there and churred together, their churrs mixing together. They relaxed and soon separated to get a little air.

"Dude....that was intense..." Mikey wiggled and tried to splay out across as much of them as much as he could. He needed to feel their heat because he needed some solid evidence that they were still there. He loved this. He never wanted it to end.

"Hell, I'll say." Leo responded. He stretched and gently scratched Mikey's shell, finding his weak spot quite easily and causing the younger to churr out again. He smiled down at the obviously happy turtle.

Mikey rolled all around them, annoying Raph into moving away, "Damn it, Mikey, just stay still!" Mikey pouted at him, but sighed and got still. Raph rolled back into the pile and curled around all of them.

"Jeez...just come up here and let's nap. Since we're gonna be lazy today..." He smirked at Leo, who rolled his eyes and pulled Mikey between him and Raph. Don was already snoozing, so Leo just pulled him into his chest and churred.

"Great. Sleep and sex...this is how we should spend every lazy day" Mikey grinned at the other turtles before he began dozing himself. "I love you all."


	28. Update!

*Smiles and comes in all awkward*  
HI guys....I"m so sorry. I've been SWAMPED!   
but! I will start writing again.  
See...*prepare for lots of irrelevant stuff*  
School is a lot longer than it's supposed to be because of the shitload of snow days we had (And those random ass chapters you got) so teachers have literally been drowning me in projects and busy work. v.v   
Anyway, you guys shall have a new chapter by the 8th at least! No more projects! Just studying for finals. UUUGGGGHHHH! SORRY AGAIN! ILY GUYS!


	29. Chapter 29

"30...31...32...33...come on Mikey, Raph is already on to his sit ups."

The youngster whined and struggled with finishing his push ups. He had to do at least fifty since they had spent the day before sexing and sleeping. Leo knew how to make up for missed work out days.

"Dammit, Leo why do we have to do all this extra exercise in one day? Can't we stretch it out over the rest of the week? We're not gonna have enough energy for tonight." Raph complained from where he was. Donnie sat on his legs while he did his sit ups. Hearing him gripe made Don smile, remembering when he himself had to make up for lost days. He was glad he was fully trained now.

"No. Because if we slack off now, then you'll never have the discipline to restructure yourself after a day that causes you to miss practice or training." Leo was back in master mode and he was having none of it. Leo wore the 'no nonsense' face that said that he would send Mikey on a twenty mile hike if he didn't behave himself. And Mikey believed him. 

Don soon thought it would be better to at least get him to give them a break. He got up and slowly walked towards Leo, "Leo, at least give them a 15 minute break. They've been going at it since you woke them up." 

Leo looked over at Don, his face still set in stone, but he could never say no to Don, "Fine. Fifteen minutes after they finish their warm ups." Leo turned to go to the orchard, leaving Mikey whining.

"Warm ups?! What the hell?!" Mikey flopped on the ground just as he finished his push ups, entirely too exhausted to immediately move on to the sit ups. Don rolled his eyes and moved around to help Mikey into position for the last work out. Raph was already booking it for a drink of well deserved water.

"It's alright, Mikey. 50 sit ups and you're done." Don smiled at him, somehow giving the younger terrapin a little more energy to get them over with. While he started to exercise with Don holding his feet, he started to think. It was his way of focusing on something other than the burn and shortness of breath.

"Why does he push us so hard? I mean, what exactly is he trying to prove to us? We already know he is a bad ass master." Mikey rolled his eyes a little and grunted through another sit up. Don just sighed and leaned forward to rest his chin on Mikey's knees.

"I couldn't tell you if I knew. He never shares that side of himself with me. I tried, but he says it'll only hurt me to know. It scares me to imagine what exactly he's thinking about that would hurt me to know, y'know?" Don stared at Mikey as Mikey stared back. 

No more conversation passed between the two as they both thought on what could possibly be going through their master's mind.

~~~

Leo swung his katana hard, piercing the air as if he was pissed at it for being in his space. He gritted his teeth and slashed around him, practicing katas that were already so ingrained in his mind that he could let his thoughts wander. And they did.

He went from his family, to his partner, to Mikey, to Raph, to Master Splinter, to the grass, to the trees, to the humans, then to his dream. Or nightmare. His nightmare of losing Raph, Don and Mikey so soon after having them so close. He tried to convince himself that it was merely a dream. He tried to convince himself that it was only his love causing fear to strike him, but it was getting harder and harder.

He was so paranoid. He wanted to make sure they were always busy and under his thumb so there wasn't any chance of them being taken away so soon, but he was practically killing them. He need to find a balance soon, or they'll leave him of their own free will.

"Having trouble settling down?" Master Splinter stood in front of Leo, startling him as usual, yet he remained calm. Leo sighed and slid his katana back into it's sheath before nodding.

"Meditation usually helps, but it seems I couldn't wrangle my thoughts this morning. So I came here to let them roam free so I can see which one is causing me problems." Leo grunted a little as he sat in the grass. He looked off into the woods, not wanting to meet his master's eyes. He hated looking weak in front of the old rat.

Master Splinter just watched him, assessing how upset his student was and tried to figure out the best words to put his heart at ease. Splinter watched as Leo grabbed a blade of grass and began to tear at it, showing his nervousness and anxiety. He just sighed and sat next to the turtle, "You will not lose them as long as you continue to win their hearts. No matter where they are, they will be yours. And you theirs."

Leo sighed, knowing Splinter always knew what was bothering him, "It's not that. I mean, what if they're kidnapped or killed? I don't want anything to happen to them." He looked over through the trees as Mikey does a handstand before challenging Raph to do one, "I'm afraid something is going to happen to them. All of them that will lead to their demise and my loneliness."

Splinter sighed and stroked his beard, knowing that nothing he could say could fully place the youngster's heart at ease, so he offered a little consolation, "Like I said, you are theirs and they are yours, no matter where you are or where they are. As long as you love them with all your heart and them with all theirs, you will always be able to find each other. Even if a life is ended." Splinter hated even suggesting death to him, but it was all he could offer at the moment.

Leo stared at the piece of grass in his fingers before letting them be blown away by the wind, "Alright, sensei." He looked over to see his students lazing about again before sighing and standing, "Well, we have a challenge to complete. And we are an hour from dusk. Tonight, I just know they'll prevail." Leo smiled, hiding away his fear yet again.

Splinter stood as well and offered a warm smile, glad that Leo was at least trying to remain calm and strong, "I concur." He would always be proud of his student.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, btw guys, I'm now on tumblr! Yes, I'm a n00b, so don't mind the silliest posts, but I will be accepting little requests and things of that nature on there. Just little small ficlets for now. :3 find me at 'tyf-aoowriter' cause all the other good names were taken -_- and start messaging me! I'll start letting you in on requests and roleplays and all that. Now I know you came here for another chapter, so here you go!

Leo stalked through the woods for the second time. He had high hopes that his students would make this the last time. He glanced around looking for any kind of clue that Mikey had gone through here or Raph was hiding near by. He had to admit that Raph was doing a rather great job at keeping his hiding place hidden. Leo looked up into the trees again as his nagging feelings were screaming that someone was in fact up there.

After scanning the dark leaves and convincing himself that he wasn't on the trail, he began to move on. He soon ran into Master Splinter, nodding his acknowledgment and continued on his way. Pretty soon his mind started to wander again. He thought of his past and his future and began walking as if he had forgotten his whole reason for being out in the woods.

While he seemed calm and carefree on the outside, he was actually pursuing a trail. He had seen a partially snapped twig somewhere and assumed that Mikey might've gone that way. He followed the disarray that wouldn't be seen with the untrained eye. He finally stopped when he felt the trail had gone cold. He stood in the middle of a small clearing and focused his hearing. 

He had a small feeling to look up and not a moment too soon. Michelangelo came flying out of a tree down towards him, barely giving him enough time to move out of the way. While he manage to dodge the first attack, he couldn't avoid the second one and ended up on his shell from a swift kick to the chest.

In an instant Mikey was on his chest, trying to wrestle his arms down to the ground. Leo got his air back, or as much of it as he could, and began fighting back. He didn't have the leverage to get up and properly defend himself, but he did his best to upturn Mikey in his current position. 

But Mikey could feel Leo trying to lift his hips and toss him off, but he just further dug his knees into Leo's sides, pushing even more air out of him. Leo gasped as dark spots started to swim in front of his eyes and the momentary lapse in his fighting allowed Mikey to grab his hands and pin them above Leo's head. He used his feet to push Leo's thighs to the ground and pressed his knees further into Leo's sides.

"Do you yield?" Mikey never sounded this serious. Leo had to stare into his eyes for a while before he was sure that this was the same young terrapin, "Leo?"

"Huh?"

"Do you yield?"

Despite knowing this was the same young mate he fell in love with, he still wasn't used to this thick and deep voice of his, "That depends."

"On?" Mikey's grip never faltered, if anything, it tightened. He knew Leo wasn't above using trickery to get out of a sticky situation. It was one of the various things they were taught up here.

"On what you're gonna do when you let me up." Leo stared up at him. He had to admit he was impressed with his skills to get him down, but once he was down, how would he escape? He may be an honorable ninja, but whatever opponent he meets may not be.

Michelangelo seemed to only hesitate for half a second before smirking, "I am a ninja. I was trained to be invisible and fast. As well as strong. If my opponent yields and decides they want more, I will retreat. If I'm caught, I will fight to get them down again and try to retreat again." 

Leo sighed and stared at him. Mikey didn't try to complicate things any more than they needed to be and Leo could see that. Mikey did what was needed at the time and if it seemed like something worse would come along, he could adjust and adapt to the new conditions. Not to mention how clever the young turtle actually was despite the immaturity and playful nature.

"Alright, then I yield." Mikey grinned and gently kissed the tip of Leo's beak.

"But the difference between you and another opponent is that you're way too honorable to go back on your word." Mikey smiled, hopped up and took off into the trees immediately. He was invisible and gone before Leo could even sit up. Now Michelangelo only had to worry about Master Splinter and he would be fine.

~~~~~

Raph had done a lot better job about finding a great hiding spot and keeping his tracks hidden. Leo had never said how far into the woods they had to go and there just so happened to be a nicely placed pond near by. He checked the banks for any signs of any lurking dangers of alligators or crocs and then slid into the murky water. He made sure his foot prints weren't in the mud any more and hid in the thicket of some tall grass.

He stared there, keeping his breathing even and his body even stiller. He was glad he was a turtle and could deal with a great amount of time in the water because he was not going to move if he didn't have to. He stayed like that until the first strings of dawn started to show up. He then slowly started out of the pond, making sure not to make a lot of noise.

"Well I'll be. You were in there." The sudden sound of Leo's voice had him taking off with speed that shocked Master Splinter from his resting place in the trees. The old rat watched as the turtle disappeared through the thicket towards the cabin. He smiled as he was finally put to use. He started off through the branches as Leo pursued Raph from the ground.

Although all the ninjas were conditioned to be silent now, their movements were quite loud to themselves. Raph didn't care about leaving a trail now, he just wanted to get back to the cabin unscathed. He couldn't fight, but he would use evasive tactics if they were to be needed.

Soon, Michelangelo appeared in the trees above him, "I bet I beat you, Raphie!"

Raphael growled a little before stooping a bit to grab a stick. He tossed it into the branches for a chance of tripping Mikey up. He didn't want to hurt him, but he was a little agitated from being on edge all night, "Dammit Mikey, this isn't the time to be issuing out challenges!" He took a hard right to escape Leo's outstretched hand. Leo skidded a little and took off towards his rabbit.

The stick caused Mikey to yelp and look back and finally catch sight of Master Splinter who was quite close to catching him. He used his own evasive maneuver to escape those long fingers and dropped down out of the trees onto the ground. The sudden change made Master Splinter have to keep going to keep from falling and injuring himself. Mikey used the few seconds of a head start to change directions and go left quickly. 

The two students manage to come back around in half circles towards each other. As soon as they saw each other, they simultaneously had the same idea. They both broke off towards the cabin in a hard turn at the last second and ran side by side. The hard turn caught both teachers off guard and sent them flying into each other. Falling to the forrest floor in a heap, the master groaned and worked to try untangle themselves and get after their students.

After getting up and running after them again, they could see that they were left far behind. Once they reached the cabin, they could already see Raph and Mikey celebrating on the front porch of the cabin. Leo smirked and walked up with his arms folded.

"I hope you two know that you are not ninjas." The smile fell from Mikey's face and he couldn't help, but regret it. He didn't want to kill his little spirit, but he just couldn't lie to them.

"What do you mean?" Raph asked with his arms folded. His chest was puffed out and he looked quite pissed.

"I mean, that little stunt you two pulled back there. You two were specifically told you weren't supposed to help each other." Leo said with his hands on his hips.

Mikey sighed and shook his head, "I wasn't trying to help Raph, he just happened to have the same idea I did at the exact same time!" Mikey flailed. He did not want to have to go through all that anxiety again. It was stressful.

Donnie walked out of the cabin with a big smile on his face and a plate of sweet rolls, but sensing the tension, he stopped and looked around, "Alright, what did I miss?"

Raph growled, "Leo thinks me and Mikey were in cahoots for the damn challenge." 

"Raphael, language, and you can't blame me. That was too perfectly timed to be anything else." Leo stared at Raph as he felt the resentment roll off of him in waves.

"I was running with Master Splinter on my shell. When I saw Raph, my immediate idea was to turn and have him to running into Raph." Mikey pouted a little. He didn't want to go through all that bull again just cause Leo believed they planned it.

"And you were closing in and I had to get you out of my shell for a few seconds to breathe. I was gonna use a tree, but seeing Mikey I figured it be harder for you to untangle yourself from Mikey." Raph huffed as he watched Leo.

Don leaned against the door with a small smile on his face. Raph and Mikey may not have known it yet, but Don did. He knew when Leo was gonna give in and he was at that point in the argument. While Leo held a blank and stoic expression, Don could see it in his eyes. 

Master Splinter smirked off to the side as he could tell as well. He smiled as Leo heaved a heavy sigh, "Fine. I guess you two pass."

Mikey let out a huge whoop and promptly tackled Leo off the porch. Raph and Donnie just chuckled from their spot on the porch as Mikey basically drowned Leo in affection.

"Well, I don't know about you all, but I say you three can go for a good bath." Don grabbed four towels and headed towards the hot springs. It wasn't long before the other three turtles followed along with him. Master Splinter smiled and nodded to himself.

"Yes. It is time to start planning the Coupling Ceremony."


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a year and a half, here I am. I a m so sorry guys. The times have been rough.

Raphael laid on his back on the underwater boulder and stared at the sky. He watched clouds slowly float by as the water around his ears muffled Mikey's loud voice and playful splashing. Leo laid next to him with his shell facing the sky, hoping for a few rays of sunlight  to warm him up. 

Donatello was busy trying to keep up with the youngest's impromptu water race. He always did feel a little more awkward than normal in the water sometimes, but that didn't stop him from trying.

Apart from laughter and a few taunts from Mikey to Don, noone said anything. Everyone seemed to be very content. Leo quietly thought about how things were possibly going in the village. He hoped all was well with no major infections from past wounds. Even if there were, he was sure Donnie's apprentice could handle it.

"Oh, shit. We have to have a Coupling Ceremony." Leo jerked up with his sudden realization and glanced over at Don.

Don blinked a couple times before his mouth fell open, "You're right. Should we do it so soon after they have started training? I mean, we didn't have ours for a year because of training and your duties."

Leo nodded and sat up to properly respond, but Mikey interrupted him, "Coupling Ceremony?"

"Oh, right. You weren't old enough to know about that. It is a village wide celebration of the mating of two or more turtles." Don swam over to Leo and furrowed his brow, "That's going to be expensive. And time consuming. Shouldn't we wait? Til they are at least adequately trained with their weapons?"

Leo sighed and rubbed his neck with a bit of a scowl on his face, " It would be a good idea, however, I don't really want to put it off too late because of the Foot tribe attack."

"Speaking of, shouldn't we be trying to head back soon? What if the place got attacked while we were gone?" Raph suddenly popped his head out of the water.

"They would've sent their fastest to warn us if that had been the case. So, I'm sure that there isn't anything we are needed for just yet." Leo puy his elbows on his knees and stared at the water deep in thought.

"Well, how about we get pavked up tonight and head back home tomorrow. After all, we are done up here for now." Don looked to Leo for agreement, who hesitated before nodding and slidding deeper  into the water.

"Yeah, it's time for us to go."

"Awww, I like it up here." Miey groaned quietly.

"Heh, me too. But we do have a life to get back to." Raph grumbled quietly before following Leo towards the shore.

The turtles slowly and reluctantly made their way back to the cabin to find it empty of its previous guest. It was an even bigger sign tk Leo and Don it was time to go. They packed everything that night, except what they would eat and wear back before they went home.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning on their way back, they stopped by the Elder's cabin to visit and drop off the blankets he wanted them to borrow. Leo also had to talk to him. He had the rest wait outside as he stepped in the dark cabin.

The fire burned low, but remained warm. The rodent seemed t be in deep thought  and barely acknowledged Leo.

"How are you, Master?" Leo cautiously asked as he kneeled in front of  him.

"Not good. My joints tell me something bad is on the horizon. Something extremely bad. You must prepare."

The sudden bad omen startled Leo and he could feel the adrenaline building up in his chest, "What are you talking about? What doyou fear will happen?"

"Bad illness, major loss, or worse, death." The rat's head shook with sadness, "Goodness, I hope not death. But it is a possibility. Prepare your home and postpone the Couplings. Trust me, Leo."

Leo stared at the Elder for a while before nodding and lowering his eyes, "I trust you."

~~~~~~~

Leo barely acknowledged the other turtles as they finished their journey home. They could sense he was distressed, but hoped he would share the reason of his own accord. They made it into the cold cabin of their permanent home before Don got too anxious and had to ask.

"What the hell happened back there? You had the darkest shadow over you the rest of the way down here." After Leo barely gave Don any attention, he knew it had to be bad.

"LEO!" The sudden yell from a usually quiet turtle startled  him. He jumped and glared at him with wide worried eyes.

"He is worried. He feels it. He feels something big will occur. The result might even be death." Leo's voice trailed off at the last word as the heaviness of it set into the room.

"So...he got an upset stomach, so what?" Raph tried to make it as miniscule as possible to try and ease his worrying as well as the others around him.

"No." Don's voice was dark and thoughtful, "Splinter never has an "upset stomach" for nothing."

At that moment a rather loud scream pierced the air outside. All the turtles rushed outside to see the bakery on fire. Leo's heart sank as his mind suddenly went to his sister.

"LISA!" Leo was sprinting twards the building engulfed in flames as the other turtles were too shocked and horrified to even move.

However, Raph caught it. Sight of some suspicious movement going away from the building on fire. He slowly followed it with his gaze, trying t see what it was before it ducked into thw foliage.

Don nor Mikey noticed him slink off to follow the mysterious shape. Raphael followed it at a safe pace, remembering what Leo told them about tracking. 

He came upon a small clearing where he saw it stop. It stood there fr a short while before another figure emerged from the shadows. It was a human with a red streak in her hair.

The figure Raph followed held out an object and dropped it in her hand.

It was a burnt piece of shell. Obviously from a turtle.

"I have killed his sister and set her bakery on fire." The mysterious figure lowered his hood and showed himself to be the same young warrior that warned Raph and Leo about the initial attack.

Raph had to fight his instinct to spring foward and attack, but he remained still.

Karai smiled and held the shell, "Excellent. Just a few more steps and the Leader will be mad with paranoia."

Raph tried to take a step back without making a sound, but he slipped. The sound put the meeting on high alert. Everything went silent for a few moments before Raph decided to book it. He hightailed it back to the village.

He heard them on his tail for a while, but their footsteps soon disappeared as he got closet and closer to safety.

As he got on the edge of the village, he felt  a sting in his neck. His hand reflexively reached up and pulled out what hurt him. He looked at the red dart before it double before his eyes. He started to panic and tried to run foward for help, but his increased heartrate only made the tranquilizer work faster. 

The large terrapin fell hard on his front, right at the edge of the village, where noone saw him get pulled back into the foliage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And from the grave, she rises to add a chapter to this accidentally abandoned post.


	32. Chapter 32

Leo had pushed down the half burned door and looked around the room. He wondered how it could be bright and dark at the same time. He heard Don and Mikey's muffled voices, but ignored them.

His sister was in danger and they were safe. It was obvious who he needs to be pay attention to right now. He pushed tables and burned pastries out of the way to head to the back. He saw his sister lauing there, part of her shell gone and laying in a pool of blood, but she was breathing.

He stooped and hauled her over his shoulder before stumbling his way back out of the burning building. He dropped her on the ground about 30 feet away and called for Donnie, "She's still breathing!"

Donnie pushed forward through the crowd of onlookers and knelt beside his sister-in-law ready to administer any help and healing he could. Mikey was still standing some distance away, partially shocked at the sudden events when he realized something was wrong. He didn't feel safe or watched. That's when he noticed Raphael was gone.

At first, he wasn't worried, because he thought he had went to help Leo, but then the whole building fell down into a pile of crackling rubble.

His heart sank a little, but he heard Leo's voice. Surely if he got out then Raphael is out. He manuvered his way through the turtles til he got to where Leo and Don were and frowned when he saw no Raph.

"Hey, where is Raphael?" His voice went unheard as Don yelled for some water and aloe vera. Leo was just as preoccupied with getting some people to help put out the fire as soon as possible.

Mikey, seeing the urgency of the situation sighed and did his best to help. He worried for Raph, but he knew that bigger things were at hand right now.

~~~~~~

"Well it looks like we might have to hurry our plans along. If someone had been careful," Karai glared at the bleeding turtle her henchmen held against a tree, "We wouldn't be in this situation . "

"I didn't -- I thought -- They weren't supposed to be back...yet..." The young terrapin warrior was huffing from the few stab wounds to his stomach. He knew he would die soon. 

Karai tossed a bit of an annoyed glare towards him, "Well as an informant, you need better information." She stooped beside the huddled and drooling mass of muscle and shell. He was completely knocked out, which was good for them.

"But it is a good thing that one of the biggest in the tribe was taken down." One of her henchmen said from the side as he watched Raphael snore almost peacefully, "One less problem for when we attack."

Karai stared and nodded slowly, "Not to mention he is also a slave in the Leader's home. A little more chipped off of his sanity. But still, it gives us even less time."

"Well, where should go from here?"

Karai looked back at the dead turtle that sat against the tree, "Well since our inside man is no longer of use to us, we might have to wait a few weeks. Allow the Leader to get more stressed and five us more time to build our attack."

Her lessers nodded and picked up the unconscious turtle and began to drag him to their own tribe. Their new hostage.

~~~~~~~~

Leo gently patted the top of Lisa's head as she chewed her lip, "You'll be fine, sis. Donnie is making more of that paste right now."

Donnie was quickly rushing around the cabin, mixing, boiling, straining different herbs and plants meant to heal and alleviate pain. He was worried because Lisa rarely got sick, but when she did, it took a lot for her to recover. 

Lisa nodded ans smirked at her brother, knowing he was worrying his tail off for no reason. Donnie always fixes her up well.

Mikey tried to help Don as best he could, but his mind was preoccupied. Raphael had yet to show up and it was getting dark.

"Hey, dis you happen to see where Raph went?" Mikey quietly asked Don. He was worried, but he didn't want Leo to go over the top with new stress.

"No. You didn't check our cabin?"

"I did, but he wasn't there either. I'm starting to get a bad deeling about this."

Don stopped stirring for only a moment before he restarted with a new tone in his voice. One that scared Mikey even more, "We don't know who started the fire. We don't know where Raph is. I'm not sure if I can help Lisa...this day is not going well...."

Mikey frowned a little, but he understood where he was coming from. It felt like a lot of their life was falling apart at the seams before they even got a chance to enjoy themselves at home.

"Get me some strips of fabric from the seamstresses. Tell them it's for the Leader's sister and they won't charge you." Don was concentrated on putting more aloe vera in the mixture to help cool it before putting on Lisa's wounds.

Mikey nodded and went to get what Don requested. As he walked passed the burned bakery, he saw some other turtles doing their best to clear our the ashes and debris. He went into the seamstress's hut to see only one left for the night.

"Here for some strips?" Mikey nodded. She pointed to the basket by the door and put her hands over her face.

Mikey was going to pick up the fabric and leave, but be hated seeing people upset. He walked over ans smiled at her, "Hey, it'll be okay. I'm sure Leo will pay you back."

She shook her head and heaved a heavy sigh, "It's not that. My son hasn't returned yet. He had been doing some work for the traders and was helping bring money and food back home, but he has never been out this late. It worries me."

Mikey's brow furrowed, "Hey. My mate is missing, too...You don't think someone has taken them, do you?" As he saw her eyes widen, regretted he even suggested that thought, "Sorry. I don't mean to worry you more. I'm just worried, too."

Mikey stood and sighed, "I'm sorry for making you feel worse. Thank you for the fabric."

She shook her head and smiled, "You tried and I appreciate that. Tell the Leader I send well wishes and he doesn't need to repay me."

Mikey grabbed the basket and gave her a tired smile before heading back to the baker's cabin.

The seamstress sighed and rubbed her face again before standing up to get ready to go home. She hoped her son would hurry back. She appreciated the extra income, but she doesn't need thi stress. He was a young warrior and, yes, he can take care of himself, but you can't stop a parent's worry.

~~~~ 

Lisa held her own surprisingly well for the burn wounds the received. Her eyes did water and her grip on Leo's hand was extremely tight.

"I'm almost done." Don said quietly as he wrapped her burns tightly. True to his word, he tied the strip tightly and sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

Leo sighed and smiled at his sister, "And here I was thinking you would be immune to burns." His sister's laugh made he smile.

"No, just my hands." She chuckled more before she closed her eyes. Leo gently kissed her forehead and stood.

Don was talking to her husband, "Just replace them in the morning and tomorrow night. Her wounds should be a lot better. If not, come get me." He hugged him and smiled as Leo walked over.

"We have a problem." Don's tone had him frowning immediately, "Raphael is missing."

Leo blinked, "He could just be at the cabin." Donnie shoo his head, "How do you know?"

"I went by there earlier. Twice. He disappeared right after we came out of the cabin to the sound of your sister's scream. We have  no idea where he is. The seamstress's son is missing as well."

Leo was growing visibly unsettled and Don grew even more worried. Not just for Lisa and Raph, but because he knew Leo would be tearing his shell off in a few hours if Raph didn't show. He was already dangerously close to shutting down.

"Well, I guess we go home and wait for him to show. If he doesn't show by morning, then we worry." Leo took a deep breath.

"Looks like you have a jump start on that." Mikey observed. Leo just shrigged and sighed.

"Can you blame me?"

Mikey shook his head, "Not at all."


	33. Chapter 33

Leo groaned quietly as he rubbed his eyes. He couldn't sleep. It was very late in the night and he was still waiting up in the front room with a lone candle as his company. He tried to sleep, as he hated to be scolded by Donnie, but he just couldn't. So he slid out of bed as quietly as he could and came to sit and think.

He let his head hang and stared at the ingrained lines in the wooden table. His eyes followed one as his mind followed it's own train of thought.

He first thought of where Raph may go and then wondered why. If he wanted to visit Terrata, surely he would've told Leo and Don. So, that's out. Unless he wanted to be alone. Even if he wanted to be alone, he wouldn't just disappear. He knew the amount of worry he would put on Mikey. Raphael really didn't want to do that.

Then Leo sat back in the chair and sighed. He let his head rest against the upper lip of his shell and stared at the ceiling. He could hear the fire in the stove crackling away, bringing up a memory of the all too painful recent tragedy. He hated that his sister's main source of income has been burned to the ground. He would have to remember to get to the Carpenter's part of the village to get some wood in to rebuild it.

"Hey." Mikey's voice caused the Leader to jump a little, but he settled down once he realized who it was. He offered a small smile to him in greeting, "Why are you up so late?"

Leo sighed and rubbed his face for what had to be the hundredth time that night. He was trying to rub his exhaustion away, but it wasn't working, "Well, apart from the fact that I cant seem to sleep, I decided to wait for Raphael. What are you doing up so late?" Leo raised his eyebrow at the younger turtle who seemed to blush.

"I gotta go to the bathroom"

Leo chuckled a little and nodded, "Ah. At least you happen to have a better reason than I."

Mikey nodded and shuffled a little while he stared at the obviously tired and stressed elder, "Can you come with me?" He hated acting like a child, but he hated going outside in the dark.

Leo looked up to see his physical discomfort and smiled to offer some relief, "Of course. I need something to do any way."

He stood and stretched before turning to follow Mikey outside. They both shuddered at the feeling of the extremely cold night. They both hurried their way to the outhouse with Mikey slipping in as soom as he could. Leo folded his arms tightly and looked around.

The night was cloudy, so it was extremely dark. Luckily he had trained to be able to see in the darkest nights and he saw the shadow move.

His brow furrowed as a small shape just behind his cabin shifted silently in the foliage. Part of him said it was just a deer or animal, but another part of him said to be sure. 

He glanced at the outhouse before looking back at the retreating shadow. He leaned into the small hole in the small building to whisper to Mikey, "Hey, stay in here for a bit, okay? I'm gonna go see something." He waited til he heard Mikey acknowledged his request.

Leo made his way silently theough the brush, following the small frame that seemed to be as silent as he was. Soon, the shadow came to a large clearing and walked over to more shadows. He leaned against a tree and strained his ears to hear.

"You! What have you done with my son?" He recognized that voice.

"I'm going to ask you to keep your voice low." He also recognized that cold and emotionless voice, "That is if you want him back in one piece."

"I just don't understand. He said you were traders. That he helped you deliver goods and you paid him in return. I was told he wouldn't be hurt." It was the head seamstress. Leo quietly wondered what her son had gotten himself into with these humans.

"We did not promise him that. But we understand your loss as a parent. As a result," Karai stepped to the side as her henchmen pulled out the dead body of the seamstress' son. He heard her sob into her hand as she stared at his lifeless body.

"Wh-what happened to him?" Her voice was small and shaken, understandable of course.

"He was attacked by another turtle. One that was big and had the markings of a slave burned into his shell." Karai lied smoothly, "He ran before we could stop him. We would've returned him to your Leader for execution, but he displayed basic expertise in ninjutsu. Something that my men have no experience with, unfortunately."

The seamstress nodded as her head connected the dots on it's own. Unfortunately, so had Leo's. His heart sunk just as the seamstress had right beside her son's body. She pulled it into her lap and cried harder.

Karai leaned down and whispered, "Sorry for your loss, please accept this on his behalf."

Karai gently placed a large purse of gold near the woman and stood to stare at her for a little while longer. After she felt she had done her job, she turned and left with her henchmen.

Leo frowned deeply as he turned and went back to the outhouse. He gently knocked on the door. Mikey poked his head out, his bright blue eyes burning him with his curiosity.

"I have bad news and worse news, but it's  going to have to wait till morning. We need to get to sleep beforw Don comes looking for us."

Mikey's brow furrowed, but he followed silently. Once they were back inside the warm cabin Mikey asked, "Does it involve Raph?"

Leo sighed heavily and nodded solemnly.

~~~~~~~~

"Impossible." Donnie shook his head as Leo sighed heavily, "He has no reason to murder a turtle he doesn't know. And why should we believe that human anyway? She is head of the Foot. Should you forget they just attacked us 2 months ago."

Leo groaned and dropped his head on the table, "I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!"

It was morning and Mikey again volunteered to cook breakfast. Having Leo yell so early in the morning made him jump. Don looked at him and sighed. Don was used to hearing Leo yell when he gets worked up, but he was sure from Mikey's view it was startling.

"I really just want him home, so I can talk to him about this." Leo spoke softly to try and counter his yell. 

Mikey sighed and moved to gently hold Leo's head his hands, "It'll be okay. I promise. We just have to wait. I waited 12 years, praying and begging for someone to rescue me. Raph showed up to take me away. It may take a while, but he'll get here." Mikey smiled and gently kissed Leonardo's nose.

"Well, no offense Mikey, but he doesn't have 12 years. If he doesnt show up within 3 months to defend himself, he will be placed on the execution list. Meaning from here to the sea bounty hunters will be searching for him. No doubt the seamstress has already put the money Karai gave her up as a reward." Don hated to be the voice of bad news, but his soul was sour right now. How dare they?!

How dare they tell the seamstress her son was murdered by Raph? His Raphie. Yes, he was a littlw brash, but he wasn't a cold blooded killer. He defends what he loves, and why shouldn't he? Don't we all? And how dare Leo bring back this bullshit story without even an ounce of disgust or doubt in his voice. Shouldn't he know the hothead a lot better than that?

Don hadn't realized he was ranting out loud until he looked over to see Leo looking at him with a pained expression. Mikey was staring in shock as well, surely surprised at the outburst.

"'M sorry." Leo began, but Donnie cut him off.

"Don't--!" Don sighed and looked at the floor, "Don't apologize. I'm just pissed off. I know Raphael didn't kill anyone. And I know you can't really be sure nor can you say anything solid because you're the Leader. You make the decisions and you can't have bias. You can only try your best to hear both sides and make a fair judgement of character."

Leo watched Don, waiting for him to say more, hoping in vain that he would off advice. Once he realized that the doctor would say nothing more he huffed heavily. Mikey set a plate of warm fod in front of him and smiled, "It's gonna be okay. I swear it on my very own nunchucks"

Leo chuckled and winked at him, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. We're supposed to be going to get them today." Leo frowned again and wondered if he should pick up Raph's sais.

"Yes. He didn't do anything and he will most definitely be deserving of them when he returns." Don read his mind and smiled at the exasperared look on Leo's face.

"I hope you're right." Leo began eating slowly as Don smirked at him and ate his own food.

"I'm always right, sweetie. Never forget that and your life may be a lot easier." 

Leo laughed and rolled his eyes, "How could I forget?"


	34. Chapter 34

Here he was. Once again tied down like an untrained animal. Raphael growled and pulled at the ropes that constrained him to the huge thick post. Normally he could work his way out of the bindings by breaking the post, but apparently, the humans have learned their lesson.

He didn't waste his energy though. He knew he would have to escape here and using all of his energy breaking out would be useless. It had been a total of ten days. He counted. He hated that he couldn't do anything to let Leo, Don or Mikey know he's fine. However, he had noticed a pattern. 

The humans left him alone in this barren hut with absolutely nothing to cover himself with and allowed him no wiggle room. They would bringing in a bowl of bread and cold, old rice and set it in front of him with a bowl of water next to it. But since they wouldn't touch his bindings at all, he was forced to lap it up like an animal. He would refuse it out of sheer spite, but he needed as much energy as possible if he would get out of here. 

After 'breakfast,' he was left alone for hours on end. Sometimes, he was sure he would go insane. Eventually, Karai would come in. Some days she would just sit and stare at him, others she would ask probing questions, most of them he ignored. Questions like, "Are you involved with the Leader?" and "Would he mind if you died? Like, would he really?" and a ton of other things to annoy him. However, he was able to keep himself calm.

Then after an hour of that, she would leave and send someone in with more 'appetizing' food for dinner. Then he's left alone all night. He must sleep sitting like that, which he knew would probably be a big drag when he really had to escape. He always tried to flex his muscles to try and keep them from getting too tense, but he could tell it wasn't going to work. 

Today, Karai decided to get physical. She had one of her henchmen come in and proceed to punch him as hard as he could. Raphael refused to show weakness and kept his grunts of pain to a minimum. His jaw was in so much pain and he could only really taste blood. 

"You wanna talk now?!" She yelled at him, but all he did was spit a glob of blood at her feet. She huffed and kicked him before storming out, "Get him to talk!" She told her sidekick and left. Another forty-five minutes of this insufferable beating and he got tired.

The henchmen stood up and panted as he shook his head, "One stubborn son of a bitch, huh?" 

Raphael just smirked and spit yet another mouth full of blood into the puddle that began to grow next to him.

"Well, I guess I'll just try again tomorrow. It's late and kicking your ass is tiring." And with that, his abuser was gone.

Ten whole fucking days. He was sitting like that and it hurt, but he was determined to get out. They left him alone a lot, so that wasn't a bad thing, but there could be a ton of humans outside ready to attack him should he make his way out. But he was getting out. Tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~

"And what if he did kill him?!" The seamstress yelled at Leo, who was looking at her with the most stoic face he could muster. 

"And then he would be punished. But that does not override the fact that you do not have solid proof that he killed your son." Leo was trying extremely hard to keep his anger out of his voice and he could barely tell if he was succeeding or not.

"I do have proof! I keep telling you--"

"The word of the leader of the Purple Dragon tribe is not sufficient enough evidence to warrant the death of a member of this tribe!" Leo barely kept his voice just below yelling level, but his authority was not to be challenged.

"And why not?" She countered with folded arms.

"Because this is the same tribe that attacked us just a month ago." Leo rubbed the bridge of his nose and just tried to keep himself as calm as possible, "Look, I understand it. You're a mother that lost her son. I could never understand that pain and the lengths you would go to to make sure some kind of justice is served, but you can't just go around and accusing people without solid evidence. I am honestly trying to find out everything I can to help you. I don't like to have anyone feeling upset or attacked in Atlantica because this is supposed to be everyone's home." Leo looked at the seamstress who just stared at the floor. 

She was upset beyond comprehension and she just didn't know what to do. She wanted her son, but he's dead. So, she's angry. She just wants to dole out pain to the person responsible, but Leo was right. There wasn't anything that really said that Raphael actually killed him. And if he did, there wasn't anything that said that he wasn't justified in it either.

Leo sighed and pulled her into a hard hug, feeling her basically go limp in his arms and sob. He keeps holding her because he was telling the truth when he said he could never understand her pain. He just wanted to give her as much strength as he could so they could get through this together.

The recent rumor has the whole village buzzing and some slave-master relationships have landed on rocky ground. Some slaves believed he was justified while their masters may believe he should be killed. It's given the air in the small village a thick atmosphere of tension.

After talking some more with the upset mother, he left her to meet with the rest of the village. They were to gather at the center of the village because it was protocol. Whenever a huge crime was committed near or in the village, the whole population, except for the victim if they were judged to be unable to make it, must meet there. The idea was to clear the air about whatever rumors were there and to, if necessary, properly introduce the bounty on the head of the criminal. 

He sat in a chair in front of the crowd of extremely rowdy terrapins. He was going to wait until they calmed down, but it looked like it wasn't going to be for a while, so he took the few seconds to think about what he was going to say and how he would. Eventually the Warrior Leader himself got annoyed with the chaos and yelled, bringing silence among the population easily.

It still took Leo a few more moments before he spoke,"I'm sure you all have heard by now." Leo paused and waited for a few more seconds before continuing, "Raphael, the one responsible for our new additions, has disappeared and has been accused of murder. There is no solid evidence against him right now, however, he isn't proven innocent just yet, either. So, right now, we aren't looking to kill him. We are looking to hear his side--"

"Why?! If he killed him, then why would we give him that privilege?" A random voice rang out from the crowd followed by a few agreeing shouts.

"You said 'if'. There is a possibility of 'if' going the other direction as well. In order for us to get a full story, whether it's a truth or a lie, we must hear him speak. If he can bring some evidence for his innocence as well, then that's the time we need it. A fair trial is a right of all turtles, guilty and innocent." Leo stood and made sure he stood tall. He felt he was being tested as a Leader now. Most of other times, he's kissing ass and trying to smooth over childish problems in Atlantica to keep the peace, but now this is something real he needed to handle. What if his lover was a murderer? He needs to handle it.

Leo continued,"So, right now, we are only looking to bring him back. Raphael comes back alive above all else. Do you hear me?" He looked over the crowd to see collective nods, some upset faces, but still cooperative turtles, "Good. Then we are done here. Carpenter, could you stay to talk to me please?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

He managed to get free. He rubbed the ropes until they were worn down enough for him to snap. Then he stretched. He was incredibly achy, but he just needed 2 minutes. He had just had dinner and he knew that the amount of humans guarding him must be at it's lowest since it seemed like they switched out from night guards and day guards. 

He made sure he was as limber as possible and looked around before heading to the door. He listened to the door to try and figure out how close the nearest guard is. After a few moments he bent and looked under the door to see that there was only one human. 

He opened the door and dragged him into the hut with no sound. He quickly strangled him and returned to his escape. Raphael looked around again and took off into the nearest foliage as silently as he could. He ran and ran and ran, hoping he could find something similar and make his way back home. 

However, his retreat was cut short when he saw it whiz by his head. Another one of those darts that hit him in the neck. He snatched it off the tree it hit as he kept running. They were now on his tail and he had to figure out a way to get them off.

He turned, twisted and ran, losing only a few of them, but eventually he remembered. His training. He had to figure out a place to chill and let it blow over. He made a fake trail and then proceeded to find a hide out. He found a small pond, but it was the perfect place. He slipped into the water and made sure not to make too many ripples. He hid in the tall grass and waited. 

 _A good time to be a turtle._ He thought as he listened. He waited for hours. He was exhausted and his adrenaline was running out, but he forced himself to stay up. Soon, he deemed it safe enough to leave. He slowly and silently slipped from him hiding spot and started away from the human tribe again. He waited until he was sure he was a good distance away from the last place they were chasing him before looking at the dart. 

There was a short purple piece of cloth on it and it looked like the tip was covered in some kind of sticky kind of paste. He was glad some of it was left. Maybe Don could tell what it was. 

He was about to stop and try to figure out where he was, but soon he stepped out into a clearing. Then he saw the familiar ruins of Terrata. He sighed and looked around, "Well, at least I know where I am." 

"I knew you'd be here." 


	35. Chapter 35

"Heh. The fucking Warrior Leader." Raphael stood there and stared at the other large terrapin. He watched as the obviously less exhausted male slowly walked towards him. Raph took a couple steps back cautiously.

"Yup. That's me. Question is, where the hell have you been?" The Warrior Leader took a few more steps forward and placed his hands on his hips, watching Raph. It was obvious he was exhausted and worn. 

"I've been held hostage. Where the hell was the rescue party?!" There was something fishy about this.  Why was he here on a random ass day? Why would he just think he'd show up here?

"Hostage?! By who?!" Genuine shock flashed across his face as he continued to advance on the other.

Raphael tried to stand firm and ready himself for a fight, but his adrenaline was running out, "The Foot. As well as the Purple Dragon. They seem to be working together." Why was he telling him all this?! Raph took another step or so back, watching almost helplessly as the Warrior Leader continued.

He didnt know if he believed him just yet. He wanted to, but the rumors weren't always wrong. Whether he was innocent or guilty, the Warrior Leader had other plan in mind, "Well, I hope you've got a little bit more energy left from this daring escape. Because I need a favor. That is if you want my protection back to Atlantica."

Raph's face was set in stone and difficilt to read, but he was sure he saw a small trace of confusion. Taking his silence as an invitation to speak, he began to remove his gear.

"I won't beat around the bush. The life of a Warrior is usually a lonely one. I most definitely know of your relationship with the Leader and the rest of his household, but..."

The large terrapin finished undressing and stood there practically naked in front of Raphael. He was muscular and attractive for how brutish he looked, but he wasnt for Raph, "I need you."

Closing his golden eyes for a second to gather himself, he shook his head, "I can't."

Raphael didn't know this turtle nor did he want to be with him, but hearing a dark chuckle from in front of him made his eyes snap open and the skin on the back of his neck tingle.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not asking." 

~~~~~~~~~~~

The human had ran and ran and ran. He was exhausted, dirty and just about to flop over from exhaustion. He could barely see straight from the lack of food and sleep, but he had to keep going. Where, u e had no idea, but staying in one place wasn't safe.

The male took a couple seconds to lean against a tree to breathe. He could see the outskirts of a clearing where Terrata used to be ahead and was gonna skim around it in a few moments. He didn't want to be caught without cover.

But he heard something. It sounded like grunting and yelling. Casey pushed up away from the tree and frowned, wondering if he should go the opposite direction or try to see what the source of the noises were.

He decided on the latter, but did it slowly. The human tip toed around the foliage closer and closer to where he heard the noises and stopped once he saw two big shells.

"Looks like Terrata wasnt so unpopulated after all," Casey whispered to himself. Moving closer to see if there was something to be afraid of, he could see the situation, "Or they're trying to repopulate....wait...."

Casey gasped in horror by what was going on before his eyes. He just couldnt let that happen. He'd never live with himself. Looking around, he found an extremely large and strong branch before sneaking out into the open behind the disgrace of the Warrior Leader.  Raising the branch, Casey swung it down with all his strength on the back of his head, effectively knocking out the Warrior Leader.

The Warrior Leader went limp on top of Raph, but he couldn't move. At first, he thought he had finally finished, but remembered faintly that he heard the sound of a solid thud.

"Hey, buddy! You okay?"

He didn't want to open his eyes. He didn't want to face the shame of whoever decided to help him. He felt so fucking weak.

Casey pushed the other unconscious turtle off of Raph and looked down at him, hoping that he wasn't low enough to assault a corpse. After a few seconds, Raph started to sob more openly, and curled up in a tight ball on his side. The human couldn't blame him. He knew he might just lose it and cry too if he was violated in such a way.

"Shhhhhh...it's okay buddy... It's alright..." Casey sat beside him near his head and gently patted his shoulder. It was all he could think to do. 

Raph couldn't find the strength to make himself move other than to put his head in Casey's lap. He though he was imagining things at first, but he wouldn't let this small comfort go so soon.

Casey sighed and shook his head, "He deserves to be killed, but unfortunately, I don't think either of us have the strength to do so. We should get moving. I am too small to take him on by myself when he knows I'm here."

Raph stayed still. He honestly believed he was going crazy, but knew that this person was right. He didn't have the strength either, so they had to go. Getting up gingerly, he snatched his torn cloth from the ground and stood there with his head down.

Casey stood up right after the big turtle was up and stared up at him. He was sure he didn't want to talk about it, so he just grabbed his arm,which felt like dead weight and started to lead him to the only other place he figured he should go: Atlantica.

Raphael could do nothing but shuffle along like a big helpless toddler. His inner anger grew steadily, but he was too exhausted and weak to act on it.

The two with slave markings burned in their backs, made their way to Atlantica as quickly as they could.

~~~~~~~

Mikey traced the outskirts of the village multiple times a day. He promised to himself and to Don that it was just to keep his training up, but he was lying.

He kept looking for Raph along any road that lead into the village. He was sure he'd show up eventually. He had to. He'd never leave Mikey alone.

Mikey was on what had to be the fifth circle around the outskirts when he saw them. On the road from the West, two huddled figures slowly shuffled their way to Atlantica. 

It was an hour before dusk and Leo was busy trying to find the Warrior Leader, but Mikey sprinted for him. Finding him in his sisters cabin, he basically yelled at him, "RAPH'S BACK!"

Leo was out of the chair before he even registered the news and Don was right behind him.

A small gathering if turtles had surrounded Casey and Raph. Casey was shaking in fear, knowinf he wouldn't be able to protect himself if needed, but Raph just stood there with his head down. He had blocked everything out. He just couldn't listen.

"Where have you been?!"

"Are you okay?"

"Why do we care if he's okay? Just tell us, did you kill another turtle?"

"Did you kill the seamstress' son!?"

All types of yelling surrounded him, but Raph heard silence. His friend huddled against his side, almost ignored by all the accusers, but he supplied whatever strength Raph found to continue standing.

Don pushed through the crowd, yelling for space while being quickly followed by Leo. Once in front of his golden gazed lover, he was surprised not to see them afalme with anger from the yelling.

Leo stepped around Don and stared at Raph. This wasn't the same turtle from 2 weeks ago. His attention turned to the human who stood next to Raph and he scowled at how much he cowered in fear.

Reaching out, he was about to pull Casey away for questioning, but Raph stopped him. The crowd went sulent, surprised to see him move.

"Don't hurt him. He saved me."

His voice was almost inaudible, but Leo heard it. Nodding, the Leader turned his hand to gently pull at Raph, tugging him into his arms. He held him until Mikey cleverly showed up with a low wagon for him to lay on. 

After Raph was laid on the wagon and was pulled towards the Leader's cabin, he saw it.

Mikey saw that telltale trickle of blood on thw back of his thigh. His heart ached hard for his lover as he walked behind him, wanting to cover his shame.


	36. Chapter 36

Raphael laid there on the bed with his body curled up tightly. He stared into the fabric that covered him and let his mind go blank. Every thought he was thinking wasn't any he wanted to have in his mind at the moment. Instead, he focused on the tightly woven strands of fabric that covered his face. The slowly diminishing lines of light from the cracks in the walls shining across the sheet. There was silence in the cabin, despite there being 5 beings in total there. 

He could feel there presence. He could feel someone every so often come check on him before walking back toward the front room. Eventually he felt the heat of the oven and heard water. He could tell that a bath was being prepared for him and his heart ached. He felt grateful while simultaneously feeling undeserving of such a thing. He felt dirty and no bath in the world could make him clean. No matter if he uses those fancy oils he heard some humans used. He looked down at his hands, examining the rough scabs that started to form from the rubbing of the ropes. He tried his best to cheer himself up by reminding himself that he'll heal. 

But he still felt so dirty.

~~

Leo's jaw clenched and unclenched. Mikey had pulled him away from Donnie and Raph and took him away from the crowd to talk.

"How do you know." 

"I've been violated." Mikey's voice was too serious. Nothing about him said child or immaturity. He almost looked older. Leo stared at him for a long time, wishing so hard for it to not be true. Eventually he just rubbed his face and growled.

This was not happening, "So, what should we do?"

"I suggest giving him space. He isn't used to feeling weak. Violation can do that to you. Help him. Watch him." Mikey showed his wrists with the scars, "He could go further than I did."

Leo held his hand and gently ran his fingers over the scars before nodding to himself, "I'll let you tell us what to do. We just want the best for him and you know better than we do..." He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He needed to calm himself.

Mikey made sure to kiss Leo gently before offering a small smile, "Don't worry. We also need to know who did it so we can keep them away from him." He could see Leo's cool color eyes light up suddenly and he could tell that 'keeping them away' would be well taken care of as soon as he knew, "But we can't agitate Raphael...We're going to have to be calm." 

Leo nodded and took another deep breath. They entered the Leader's cabin together and decided to wait.

~~

Casey sat in the corner and felt uncomfortably small. He'd glance in the door every now and then at his new friend before settling back into his corner. He didn't know these turtles nor if he was safe with them. But the larger turtle vouched for him, so that must be something, right?

He made sure he made no sudden moves, didn't speak unless spoken to and remained as invisible as he could be. It was all he knew. He had been a slave his entire life. This was his first escape attempt. Atlantica had always been known for their better treatment of slaves. Maybe he was safe here. 

Don stood suddenly and started a fire in the oven. Leo looked up at his mate and just watched for a few seconds before standing himself. He started to fill a pot with water and set it on top of the oven, ready to be warmed. Then he sat down again and stared at the door. Casey could tell he was hoping for something from Raphael, but even he didn't know if he was going to get up any time soon. 

Casey just remained quiet before Mikey approached him, offering a small smile, "Do you want to help me gather food for dinner?" Mikey's voice was low and inviting, making the human smile and nod. Standing quickly, he followed the smallest, but still large, terrapin out of the cabin. 

~~ 

Don poured the fourth and last pot of hot water into the large tub and watched as Leo added some more cool water to mellow out the warmth. They stared at each other for a while, unsure of how to get Raphael into the tub without hurting him. Leo managed to pull Don away earlier to let him know of the situation, but unfortunately, Don never dealt with the emotional part of violation. Just fixing it physically. He rubbed the back of his neck and went to the room. Leo stood there by the tub as he heard Don's low voice from the other room.

"Hey...Raph...?"

"Hm?" 

"Let's go take a bath..."

Silence was his answer with no movement. Don waited a couple seconds before he saw him start to shift to roll out of the bed. Once he was standing, Donnie grabbed his hand gingerly and led him into the bathroom. Once inside, Raph was in the tub and soaking. Both Donnie and Leo left him to relax for a few moments. They wanted to make sure he got the space he needed. 

It wasn't too much later when Leo returned with another towel. He gently patted Raph's shoulder, but Raphael flinched nevertheless, "Sorry. Lean forward. Let me scrub your shell."

Raph had to calm his breathing a little before doing what he was told. He was trying his best to keep his thought processes to a minimum. The feeling of Leo's strong fingers rubbing in between the grooves on his shell had him humming softly. He didn't want to churr. It reminded him of...--

"No..."

"Hm?" Leo stopped suddenly and stood up to listen to Raphael, "Is there something wrong?"

"Uh. I got the lower part of my shell already. Thanks..." Raph mumbled a little as he curled into himself. Leo watched him for a little while before dropping the towel and soap. Turning away to grab the warm water, he undid the pipe that drained the tub and started to pour the warm water over Raph and his shell. More happy hums were heard as they worked together to rinse Raphael. 

Donnie had changed the sheets and tossed them in the corner to be washed with clothing and other things this upcoming weekend. He knew Raph wasn't going to want to associate with his ripped cloth and just tossed t in the oven. He didn't even want to see it. How dare someone violate Raph. HIS Raph?! Don growled a little and made sure the fire engulfed the fabric before closing the oven again. 

Once everything was back in place, he saw Raph return to the room and fall back into the bed. Don sat next to him and gently patted his arm, "You okay?" A small nod was his response, "Want anything specific tonight?" Raph shook his head and he couldn't help but sigh, "Okay. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." 

Leo fixed up his own bath and decided it better if they all got clean before dinner was done so they could all just go to sleep. Once he was done, Mikey and the human had returned. He pulled Casey out of the kitchen and outside after he was done with his own little load of the cooking.

"Look, I want to thank you for helping him return home. I don't know to what extent you helped, but it had to be a lot because he almost never likes to give someone credit for saving his shell." 

Casey was practically cowering at first but grinned as soon as he realized he was getting a little praise, "Hey, no problem. The situation I found him in was...bad...which is an understatement." He rubbed the back of his neck and huffed.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. How did you find him?" 

Casey looked up at him and huffed a little. He didn't know how to say it. He chewed his bottom lip for a few seconds before recounting his own personal view of the story to him, from when he came upon Terrata to when they arrived to Atlantica. Leo watched with a furrowed brow, but didn't say anything. Once Casey was done, Leo pulled him into a hug and sighed, "Thank you so much..." 

Casey just stood there for a few seconds before hugging him back, "Seriously...no problem."

Leo stood up and took another deep breath, "Would you be able to point out the turtle who violated him?" Seeing the human nod, he gave a nod himself and stepped aside, pointing to the inside of the cabin, "Well, come on, dinner is probably almost done then. I'm sure you're starving." 

Casey grinned and hurried inside to the wonderful smells Donnie was creating. 

~~~~~~~

Mikey walked towards the farmers district with the human in tow and he smiled along the way. He was more than happy to see his Raphie home and he wanted to make sure he got to eat well. He knew the best way to bring him back out of his shell and feel at home again was to make sure everything seemed normal. For a little bit, then they'd open him up. Mikey turned to Casey and smiled, "So my name is Mikey, what's yours?"

"Uh...Casey, sir."

"Sir? Pfft, please..." Mikey turned so the human could see his similar slave markings before continuing to the butcher. Stepping inside, he ordered 5 large cuts of steak and moved to wait by where the butcher worked. The butcher eye'd the human for a little while before returning to his job. Once that was done, Mikey handed him the bag and headed back out, "Alright, next...is...farmer..." He had to think a little as he almost forgot Raphael's favorites, "Potatoes and carrots....potatoes and carrots."

Casey followed as quickly as he could, "Uh...could I ask a question?" Mikey raised his brows as a nonverbal invitation to ask away, "Why do we not have an escort? Like how long have you been a slave of the Leader to be this trusted?"

Mikey laughed a little and gently patted Casey's shoulder, "I promise. This is the best place for slaves. We are almost civilians. We have rights and freedoms. We just have obligations." Mikey shrugged, "I'm pretty much my own turtle. Unfortunately, just within these borders." Stepping into the farmer's stall, he grabbed up some potatoes, carrots, herbs, and sugar before paying him back. Once they were out, they headed back to the cabin. But before they could get inside, Mikey stopped Casey and set down the food to stretch and talk a little.

"Before we go in there, dude, we gotta talk..." Casey looked a little surprised, but he didn't protest.

After a few moments of silence, Mikey looked down at him and sighed, "Do you know...how long it happened?"

Casey almost didn't know what he was talking about, but once he realized he shook his head sadly, "I kinda arrived in the middle, I guess. I worked as fast as I could."

Mikey nodded and sighed. Not having the violator finished must've saved some shame from Raph. He nodded a little and picked the food back up, "Glad you came along. I think Leo and Don are gonna volunteer to take you in. I don't think we have much space anywhere else for you. You're like the only human!" Mikey chuckled and pushed into the cabin and set the food down on the table. 

Casey chuckled nervously and followed his lead, "Really, well...a first for everything, huh?" Mikey beamed and nodded.

 


End file.
